Becky Hill has spoken out after footage of convicted serial rapist Craig France attending one of her gigs aired on 24 Hours In Police Custody.
- READ MORE: Becky Hill tells us about new album ‘Believe Me Now?’: “I’m not the underdog anymore”
The Channel 4 true crime series featured a clip of France at one of Hill’s shows, singing along to 2021 track ‘Remember’. The episode, titled ‘Nightclub Predator’, saw a caller launch an investigation after alleging she had been raped by France but had little memory of the attack.
During a search of France’s Peterborough home, officers found several hidden cameras, with the team then forced to trawl through more than 6,000 disturbing images and videos and inform three other victims that, unbeknownst to them, they had been filmed by France.
In March this year, France pleaded guilty to sexual offences against four women, including rape and sexual assault, and was sentenced to 10 years and seven months in prison. Addressing the episode on social media, Hill shared a trigger warning with fans ahead of discussing the topic, advising them to skip her post if they were “not in the space” to hear about it.
“Watching the latest ep of 24 hours in police custody crying my eyes out. the fact that it opens with this horrific rapist at my live show makes me SICK,” she wrote on Instagram stories.
“I reported my own rape 4 years after it happened & still to this day it’s the bravest fucking thing i’ve ever done in my life. scared no one would believe me.”
In a previous interview with Glamour UK, Hill said the assault would “stay with me for the rest of my life”, and felt like “something had left me that will never come back.”
Her post continued: “These women that came forward & reported this absolute sick fuck are incredible but also incredibly sad this happened to them. credit to these brave young women. that shit is so hard to go through. i only try to create a safe space for music & partying, im disgusted this cunt was at a show of mine. I’m so sorry.”
Last year, Hill teamed up with Self Esteem on ‘True Colours’, with its lyrics inspired by the first-hand experience of a sexual assault by “somebody you trust, and your friends not believing you”. The poignant collaborative track served as the opener of Hill’s second studio album ‘Believe Me Now?’.
At the time, Hill was said to have channelled “empowerment, defiance and self-care” into the single, which was shared in the hopes of encouraging other women to speak out against sexual assault.
Speaking to NME about the song, Hill said writing it was a “super cathartic experience” that took her nearly eight years to do. “It’s probably the bravest thing I’ve ever done in my entire life,” she said. “I know it’s not something everyone can do but I felt such self-confidence from reclaiming that situation.”
For more help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.
