British tennis star tells of nightmare over rape allegation in US

Only the unusual fact that he supplied no booze for his party saved him

A promising young star of British tennis has told of his nightmare ordeal after being falsely accused of rape in America’s Deep South. Chris Doerr says he contemplated suicide after he was locked up with drug-dealers and killers and told he faced a life sentence in Mississippi’s notoriously brutal jail system. The 21-year-old Londoner feared his life was all but over after falling foul of laws in the Bible Belt that mean a girl only has to claim she had sex after a man got her drunk to bring a rape charge.

Chris was arrested just two days after sleeping with the 20-year-old brunette at a party at Mississippi State University, where he is studying under a sports sponsorship. Although there was no suggestion he had used force, he was locked up almost immediately. ‘When they told me I could go to prison for life, I considered suicide,’ Chris said. ‘I got a Facebook message saying, “I hope you rot in jail and get raped in jail.” I knew that kind of thing happened in Mississippi. ‘I thought about slitting my wrists and also about how I could get my hands on a gun, but I just had to fight to clear my name for my parents’ sake.’

He recalled how he willed himself not to cry as he sat on the metal bunk in his windowless cell. ‘I’d seen films like The Shawshank Redemption and knew I shouldn’t show any weakness.’ Of the accusations, Chris said: ‘The most terrible thing about this is that it could happen to any guy. These lies can ruin your life. ‘My perception of rape was force, or having sex with a girl when she was unconscious. I had no idea that a girl can have you arrested if she claims she had sex after you got her intoxicated.

‘Mississippi is old-fashioned compared to London. One of my friends is waiting until his wedding night to have sex. But a lot of girls say they’re virgins, when they obviously are not. ‘I think the girl I slept with told a little lie to her friends and it grew from there,’ he said.

Chris’s nightmare began in November at a party in the flat he shared with another student tennis player and two former US Marines in the deeply conservative city of Starkville. I was 20 at the time,’ he said. ‘The laws here say you have to be 21 to drink. No one takes that seriously on campus but we didn’t have enough money for alcohol, so we sent out texts saying BYOB – bring your own beer. ‘There were about 50 people and we were playing drinking games, but I didn’t get hammered. The girl arrived with two guys. My roommate said they brought beer and maybe vodka.

‘She started flirting with me and she was by my side all night. I had my arm around her and we were kissing. She was quite nice looking. She knew I was a tennis player and laughed at my jokes. Then she asked if she could sleep with me. It’s rarely in Mississippi that girls say that to a guy. But she was extremely forward. ‘When we had finished, she cuddled against me and fell asleep. I woke up at about eleven the next morning and she had gone.’

About two hours later, a sheriff’s deputy arrived at his flat. ‘He asked, “Did you sleep with a girl last night?’’ I thought that was a strange question. But I said yes,’ Chris recalled. ‘He said she was claiming she was raped, and asked me to go to the station for questioning. I was freaked out, but to me rape meant violence, holding a girl down, and I would never, ever do anything like that. I had nothing to hide so I gave him a statement. ‘The first thing I did when I got home was text my parents. I told them there was nothing to worry about, but my dad said he was going to fly over anyway.’

Chris was arrested the following afternoon. His hands were manacled and he was taken to jail, where he was forced to wear the customary prisoners’ orange jumpsuit. He was strip-searched by a female nurse, who plucked his hair for DNA testing.

The police had two affidavits. One, signed by the girl’s father, charged that Chris had ‘wilfully, unlawfully and knowingly made available beer’ to the girl. The other, signed by the girl, claimed the sex was ‘not...forcible [but] without her consent’. In Mississippi, anyone can press criminal charges without needing the support of law enforcement officials. So even when the authorities thought Chris had no case to answer, he was still dragged through the courts, while the local newspaper named him and gave his address.

Jim Waide, a civil rights lawyer who agreed to represent Chris, said the local system ‘results in many miscarriages of justice, which greatly harm reputations’. After Chris spent the night in jail, his father Richard arrived from his home in Petts Wood, South London, to bail him out. The pair wept as they embraced outside the prison. ‘It was like being hit with a bullet when I heard the charges,’ said Richard, 54. ‘But I knew Chris would never do anything like this.’

Richard – a former newspaper production manager who became a minicab driver after being made redundant – began to amass statements from students who were at the party. ‘They said the girl was chasing my son and he had texts which proved he didn’t provide any alcohol.’

At a preliminary hearing, the prosecutor advised the judge to dismiss the charges because of a lack of evidence. But the girl had a second chance: if a grand jury, sitting in secret, believed her, Chris still would have to face trial. But 11 days ago, shortly before his 21st birthday, he learned he would not be indicted. Now Chris – once ranked No11 in English tennis – is determined to finish his four-year degree in journalism and continue life in America. ‘The opportunities are out there,’ he said. ‘I’d like to move to Florida to coach.’

His hands trembled, however, as he confided he has sought the help of a counsellor to try to deal with the fear and the strain. ‘One night four men knocked on my door, saying they wanted me. My ex-Marine flat mates told them they had to leave, but I get very paranoid, thinking that at any moment someone could bust in and blow my head off. ‘I worry there will always be a stain on my reputation and that life will never be normal again. I don’t know when I will date again. How can I ever trust anyone?’

Original report here



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