A Liverpool student felt "helpless" and "scared" after a friend sexually assaulted her before hiding in her wardrobe.
Zeenia Naqvee, 21, said her friend shoved his hands down her trousers as she cooked dinner.
In a bizarre twist, Zeenia said he then hid in her wardrobe after he followed her to her bedroom while he 'begged for sex' despite Zeenia repeatedly rejecting his advances.
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Speaking of the assault that put her on edge, Zeenia, from Sheffield, told the ECHO: "I was in my own house. I should be safe."
She added: "I was just really surprised because we were friends. Since then, I've been quite wary."
Zeenia reported the assault to the police in June 2020 and in July 2021 he was ordered to pay her £400 in compensation for the sexual assault under Section 3 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 an was given a 12 week prison sentence suspended for two years.
The University of Liverpool banned him from university premises, including residential halls.
At the end of it all, Zeenia asks whether the toll it took on her mental health and her academic and social life was worth the £400 and a suspended sentence.
Zeenia said she questioned the impact the court case had on her life and friendships, she said: "The only reason I reported it was because I didn't want him to strike again or do this to anyone else."
More than 90% of rape and sexual assault victims knew their attacker, according to research from Glasgow University.
Zeenia's experience has dented her trust in men.
She said: "I think I'm just wary of male friends, which yeah, I know, painting all men with the same brush is probably unfair.
"But it just seemed like such an innocent friendship that I think I've just become a bit more cynical from it all."
Looking back on the last two years, Zeenia said she felt that what the criminal justice system could offer her ultimately fell short of what she hoped for.
Zeenia wishes she could encourage people to report their attackers, but she wants people to consider the toll it takes on your time, mental health and friendships.
A University of Liverpool spokesperson said: "We are absolutely committed to supporting survivors of sexual violence and would encourage any student who has experienced sexual assault or rape to speak to us or to the police. We will always work with survivors to provide highly tailored support throughout the process.
"We have made it easier for anyone who has experienced sexual assault or abuse to report it to us with a new reporting tool, launched in October 2020, and we work with survivors to identify which process they want to follow, respecting their right to choose their preferred next steps.
"Where a university disciplinary investigation is opted for, we have appointed a specialist investigator to examine allegations of sexual misconduct and have very serious sanctions in place.
"The investigations themselves are often complex and can sometimes require interviews with a significant number of witnesses. Where this is the case, we keep all parties regularly informed of progress and next steps.
"Specially trained staff support survivors of sexual assault, providing carefully tailored counselling and wellbeing support.
"Counsellors work with survivors to assess their individual needs and provide additional support or refer on to other services.
"Under our current processes, reporting students are provided with a named contact within our wellbeing team so they are supported throughout any police or internal investigation.
"Students experiencing difficulties with their academic studies are encouraged to talk to their wellbeing contact or an appropriate person within their School.
"They will be guided on the various options and support available to them and this will always be done on an individual basis."
Superintendent Diane Pownall said: "At Merseyside Police, we work extremely closely with all our universities and student groups to ensure that Liverpool is a safe place for students to live, study and socialise.
"This includes working together to tackle rape and sexual violence across the city – both to proactively prevent this type of crime and encourage reporting.
"We are clear that violence and intimidation against women and girls is unacceptable and must not be tolerated.
"Alongside our partners across the city, including our universities, we are working to drive behavioural change to empower women and girls to live their lives without fear of abuse.
"We have specialist officers working across the education sector in the city, including dedicated university officers at University of Liverpool and Liverpool John Moores.
"We also hold regular student safety groups where we meet with representatives from all universities to understand crime affecting students, including working together to prevent sexual violence
"In April 2021, we launched Operation Empower, our proactive policing response to preventing sexual violence in the Night Time Economy.
"We deploy additional officers, in key locations on busy nights or at important events, who are tasked with identifying potential perpetrators who are displaying signs of predatory behaviour such as loitering without good reason, or giving or approaching females with unwanted attention.
"Bystander training has also been given to licensed premises and other partners, such as taxi drivers to help members of staff identify individuals and officers are also asked to be aware of anyone who may present as vulnerable and consider any immediate safeguarding concerns.
"I would also like to take this opportunity to reassure anyone who has suffered a sexual offence that, if you can find the courage to come forward and speak to us, we will deal with your case sensitively and make sure that your report is properly and thoroughly investigated.
"There is no time limit for reporting this type of crime and we take every report extremely seriously.
"We have specially trained officers from our dedicated Unity Team who will speak to you and support you through any investigation or criminal proceedings and can help you get any further help you may need."
Report a sexual offence allegation by calling 101 where you will be spoken to by specially trained officers. Don’t forget, reports that are not urgent can be made via @MerPolCC on Twitter or 'Merseyside Police Contact Centre' on Facebook. Always call 999 in an emergency.
Support for victims is also available through the registered charity the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre Cheshire and Merseyside, who can be contacted on 01925 221 546 or 0330 363 0063 or Rape and Sexual Assault Merseyside (RASA) on 0151 558 1801.
StreetSafe is a pilot service for anyone to anonymously tell us about public places where they have felt or feel unsafe, because of environmental issues, e.g. street lighting, abandoned buildings or vandalism and/or because of some behaviours, e.g. being followed or verbally abused.
The tool is hosted on the national policing website police.uk and enables members of the public to anonymously drop a pin onto a map in areas where they don’t feel safe, regardless of whether or not a crime has taken place. It allows them to highlight factors that cause them concern and could range from a poorly-lit pathway to instances of public harassment.
Please note: 'StreetSafe' is not for reporting crime or incidents.
If something has happened to you or someone you know (including in public spaces online) you can call Merseyside Police on 101 or report online.
If you're unsure whether something is a crime or not, read our advice.
