‘I didn’t know removing a condom during sex was rape’, says Love Island star

A former Love Island contestant says it “took her breath away” after learning that removing someone’s condom during sex is classed as rape.

As it is known, stealth occurs when a person removes a condom during consensual sex without telling the other person.

Megan Barton-Hanson says she had this experience six times, with one man claiming that each time the condom broke, causing him to miscarry.

“I didn’t know it was a crime,” the 30-year-old man told the BBC.

“I just thought it was something between partners that you would have to discuss with them.”

Warning: This article contains details that some readers may find disturbing

Megan said she knew his actions were “inappropriate and unjust”, but it was only in the recording of the We Need to Talk podcast, when host Paul C Brunson told her, that she realized the man’s actions were rape. .

“I had never heard of theft,” she says.

“When we started having sex, the condom was obviously on – it was fine – and then at the end, he deliberately removed it but his excuse was ‘it ripped and broke’.

“It was shocking.”

The Metropolitan Police say that stealing is a misdemeanor but the practice is legally considered rape, although prosecuted Reasons for under-reporting are rareBecause many do not realize that it is a crime.

In October, University College London (UCL) survey It revealed that only one in 10 men aged 18-25 did not consider removing a condom without consent as sexual assault.

Andrea Simon, executive director of End Violence Against Women and Girls, says that although sex may begin with consent, if someone violates that consent by removing a condom, it is considered rape and can be prosecuted as rape. Can be run.

“It’s very hard to know the prevalence of theft, because a lot of people don’t really think of it as sexual violence or a crime,” she explains.

“It’s really important that men, in particular, understand that knowingly removing a condom during sex without consent is criminal behavior and we know that this reflects men’s sense of entitlement over women’s bodies and it is a threat to women. There is a violation of bodily autonomy.”

The issue was explored in the fourth episode of the BBC drama I May Destroy You in 2020, where the lead character Arabella has sex with a man who removes a condom without her knowledge.

Arabella didn’t realize it was rape until she heard it discussed on a podcast.

According to Ciara Bergman, chief executive of Rape Crisis England and Wales, the seriousness of this form of sexual violence is accurately reflected in the language we use to talk about it.

“So-called theft is a form of rape under English and Welsh law,” she says.

“If someone has consented to sex on the basis that they will wear a condom and then they remove the condom without the other person’s knowledge or permission, then consent to sex is lost from that point on.”

For those who may be concerned, Megan’s advice is clear.

She says: “I think if you have any kind of suspicion, red flags, tell a friend, tell someone and then you can go together and tell the police.

“You don’t have to make a big old deal out of it; you can call from your home, but I think definitely reach out to someone because it’s not fair and it’s not OK.”

Additional reporting by Sonja Jessup and Jessica Ure

If you have been a victim of sexual abuse or violence, details of help and support are available here bbc action line,