The trauma the NSW legal system forces on sexual assault victims

June 28, 2026 — 5:00am

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The courageous decision by Anastasia Treharne to describe her harrowing experiences seeking justice for two separate sexual assaults she endured has exposed the shortcomings of a system stubbornly resistant to change.

Treharne told our reporter Clare Sibthorpe she was made to feel more like a witness than a victim.

Last Wednesday, Justin Downs was due to be sentenced at the Downing Centre District Court for raping Treharne after they met on a dating app in 2022. However, the judge adjourned the sentencing for two weeks to consider more submissions on the appropriate sentence.

Downs, a convicted domestic-violence and drink-driving offender who has previously breached court orders, is seeking a community corrections order.

The court delay is one of many the 23-year-old Treharne has experienced since her best friend’s........

© The Sydney Morning Herald