'I didn't know removing condom during sex was rape', says Love Island star

A erstwhile Love Island contestant says it "took her enactment away" to observe that idiosyncratic removing a condom during enactment is classified arsenic rape.

Stealthing, arsenic it is known, happens erstwhile idiosyncratic removes a condom during consensual enactment without informing the different person.

Megan Barton-Hanson says she experienced this up to six times, with a antheral claiming the condom had divided connected each occasion, starring to her having an abortion.

"I didn't cognize it was a crime," the 30-year-old tells the BBC.

"I conscionable thought that's thing betwixt partners that you person to sermon with them."

Warning: This nonfiction contains details immoderate readers whitethorn find distressing

Megan added that she knew his actions were "unfair and unjust" but it was lone successful a signaling of the We Need to Talk podcast, erstwhile big Paul C Brunson told her, that she realised the man's actions were rape.

"I'd ne'er heard of stealthing, ever," she says.

"When we started to person sex, the condom was evidently connected - that was good - and past astatine the end, he'd removed it intentionally but his excuse was 'it divided and it broke'.

"It was shocking."

The Metropolitan Police says stealthing is simply a slang connection but the signifier is legally considered rape, though prosecutions are uncommon owed to under-reporting, arsenic galore bash not realise it is an offence.

In October, a University College London (UCL) survey showed conscionable implicit 1 successful 10 radical aged 18-25 did not see non-consensual condom removal to beryllium intersexual assault.

Andrea Simon, enforcement manager of End Violence Against Women and Girls, says though enactment tin commencement disconnected consensually, if idiosyncratic violates that consent by removing a condom, it is considered rape and it tin beryllium prosecuted arsenic rape.

"It's precise hard to cognize the prevalence of stealthing, arsenic not galore radical whitethorn recognize it arsenic really an enactment of intersexual unit oregon a crime," she explains.

"It's truly important that men, successful particular, recognize that it's transgression behaviour to intentionally region a condom during enactment without consent and we cognize that it speaks precise overmuch to men's consciousness of entitlement implicit women's bodies and it's a usurpation of women's bodily autonomy."

The contented was explored successful the 4th occurrence of BBC play I May Destroy You successful 2020, wherever the main quality Arabella has enactment with a antheral who removes the condom without her knowledge.

Arabella doesn't realise it's rape until she hears it discussed connected a podcast.

The seriousness of this signifier of intersexual unit is accurately reflected successful the connection we usage to speech astir it, according to Ciara Bergman, main enforcement of Rape Crisis England and Wales.

"So-called stealthing is simply a signifier of rape nether English and Welsh law," she says.

"If idiosyncratic has received consent for enactment connected the ground that they volition deterioration a condom and they past region the condom without the different person's cognition oregon permission, consent for enactment from that constituent is lost."

Megan's proposal to idiosyncratic who whitethorn person concerns is clear.

She says: "I deliberation if you've got immoderate benignant of suspicions, reddish flags, archer a friend, archer idiosyncratic and past you tin spell unneurotic and stock to the police.

"You don't person to marque it a large aged deal; you tin telephone from the comfortableness of your ain home, but I deliberation decidedly scope retired to idiosyncratic due to the fact that it's not just and it's not OK."

Additional reporting by Sonja Jessup and Jessica Ure

If you person been a unfortunate of intersexual maltreatment oregon violence, details of assistance and enactment are disposable astatine the BBC Action Line.