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Convicting My Ex

As her rapist ex nears parole, Ellie Wilson must confront her trauma. Beyond the headlines, her fight for justice becomes deeply personal.

In 2022, Ellie Wilson鈥檚 ex-boyfriend Daniel McFarlane was convicted of raping her twice during their relationship.

They had met at their university athletics club, and Ellie had thought Daniel was 'the one', the perfect boyfriend. But one night, after returning from a running competition, Daniel raped Ellie. Then, he revealed that he鈥檇 done it before, when she was asleep.

Determined to have proof of what he鈥檇 done, Ellie secretly recorded Daniel鈥檚 admission on her phone. Ellie went to the police, and the case eventually made it to court, where Daniel was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison.

Ellie鈥檚 justice journey didn鈥檛 end at 'guilty'. Following a bruising experience in the trial, Ellie made headlines after waiving her right to anonymity to challenge Daniel鈥檚 defence lawyer, successfully arguing that he repeatedly crossed the line in his questioning.

Now, Ellie has built a significant social media following as a campaigner, fighting to improve the experience of the criminal justice system for survivors of rape and sexual abuse. But Ellie鈥檚 decision to go public has come at a cost. She is regularly targeted by trolls on social media who viciously attack her for refusing to present as they imagine a victim should.

And whilst Ellie has achieved inspirational success with her many public campaigns, she has only recently begun to confront the personal impact of what happened in her relationship.

In this emotionally powerful documentary by director Elle Mower, Ellie discovers that her ex-boyfriend is up for parole, halfway through his five-year prison sentence. Whilst she waits to discover if he could be released from prison early, Ellie must confront her own personal trauma away from the spotlight of her campaigns.

Available now

46 minutes

Audio described

On TV

Today 03:10

Credit

Role Contributor
Director Elle Mower

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