Olivia joined Loughborough in 2019, having previously worked at Anglia Ruskin University and doing her PhD research at the University of Bath. Olivia’s work focuses on gender-based violence, in particular meanings of justice after sexual violence. She is interested in how the criminal justice system responds to sexual offences, the impact on victim-survivors, and how responses can be improved while maintaining fair trial. Her work has featured on BBC Radio 4 (File on Four and Women’s Hour), France 24, The Times, The Telegraph, BBC Look East, Independent on Sunday, and The Independent.
Olivia’s research works with victim-survivors, support practitioners, and criminal justice professionals to understand criminal justice responses to sexual violence. She also undertakes court observations to understand how justice is enacted during rape trials.
Recently, Olivia was part of Operation Soteria, a large collaboration between academics and policing, funded by the Home Office, to create the first ever national operating model for investigating rape and ‘serious’ sexual offences. This is now being extended to the courtroom, and Olivia is part of the pilot project examining how Soteria principles can be embedded post-charge.
Her research has had real world impact, and Olivia’s call for legal advice and support after her PhD research led to the Northumbria SVCA Pilot, set up by Dame Vera Baird KC in 2018. Her evaluation of that pilot identified significant benefits of legal advice, but also suggested some potential ways to improve the model. Another pilot funded by the London Mayor tested these ideas, and Olivia’s research demonstrates that this approach offers victim-survivors a sense of procedural justice.
Olivia is also working with colleagues at Glasgow University to understand how victim-survivors make sense of ‘belief’ after sexual violence.
Olivia teaches on a range of modules and topics, mostly relating to inequalities, violence, and justice. At Loughborough, she has taught across the BSc and MSc programmes, including modules on criminological theory, feminist criminology, violence and violent crime, the criminal justice system, social inequalities, study skills, and responding to sexual violence.
Olivia also supervises dissertation students at BSc and MSc levels, and has been a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy since 2015 when she received her PG Cert in Higher Education.
Olivia welcomes PhD proposals around responses to sexual violence and domestic abuse, particularly those focused on meanings of justice and the potential barriers to meeting victim-survivor justice needs.
Current Postgraduate Research Students
- Ellie Buxton, ‘Exploring Men’s Perspectives on Making Misogyny a Hate Crime’. With Neema Trivedi-Bateman and Line Nyhagen.
- Ezgi Awal, ‘Understanding British News Media Coverage of Rape in the Context of a High-Profile Rape Trial’. With Fran Azpitarte.
- Hoi Ling Chan, ‘Media Representations of Sexual Violence Against Older Adults’. With Iris Wigger and Jilly.
Completed Postgraduate Research Students
- Dr Charlotte Herriott, Completed March 2022. (First Supervisor). Is the jury out on sexual history evidence? The impact of sexual history evidence on mock jury deliberations in rape trials.
- Dr Ellen Daly, Completed July 2021. (First Supervisor). Court observations of English rape and sexual assault trials: An intersectional analysis.
- Dr Mohammed Mazher Idriss, Completed October 2018 (Third Supervisor). Honour-based violence in ethnic minority communities in England and Wales.