Police update over rape and sexual assault probe at Victorious Festival last month

Following the three-day music extravaganza – that saw more than 80,000 revellers pack Southsea Common – police announced they were investigating a rape and sexual assault on separate women.

The event, from August 26-28, led to three reports of sexual offences – two of which were being investigated by officers.

Superintendent Sarah Jackson, who oversaw the policing of Victorious Festival 2022, said police worked with festival organisers to ‘try and create a safe and welcoming environment for all attending’.

She added: ‘This year, a focus of our work with the organisers and their teams on site was placed on violence against women and how to spot the signs of this.

‘Throughout the weekend, staff working at the festival acted diligently, alerting us to any potential incidents, which we were able to review and ensure nothing untoward was happening.

‘Sadly, we are now investigating a report of a sexual assault and a report of a rape on the site over the course of the weekend.’

Now more than 10 days after the event has finished police have confirmed they have not arrested anyone for either the the rape or sexual assault with their ‘enquiries ongoing’.

A spokesperson from Victorious Festival previously said staff ‘work hard, alongside Hampshire Police, to make Victorious a safe environment for everyone and we will continue to support the police in their investigations into the reported incidents’.

They added: ‘Our staff and volunteers are trained to proactively monitor for and deal with incidents of sexual assault and harassment and, as part of the Association of Independent Festivals ‘Safer Spaces’ campaign, we are committed to raising awareness and encouraging the reporting of incidents if they happen at festivals and beyond.

‘Our work with Police and other partners before and during the event means we are ready to deal with any unacceptable behaviour which does arise and, with an attendance of over 170,000 people across the three days, we are pleased that the overwhelming majority played their part in making it a safe and enjoyable weekend.’

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Other reported offences at the festival included one assault, two for public order and two for drugs.