Sexual assault victim's court ordeal: 'I fainted in the witness box'

A ground-breaking pilot scheme begins on Monday to help young and vulnerable victims avoid the trauma of going to court when giving evidence.

They will be offered the chance to have their evidence and cross-examination pre-recorded and played during the trial.

The pilot will run in Leeds, Liverpool and Kingston-upon-Thames, with the intention of rolling it out more widely.

Shameema, a survivor of a serious sexual assault at the age of 17 who has waived her right to anonymity, has told the BBC's Clive Coleman about her ordeal.

At one point, she said, she fainted in the witness box.

There were two trials before her attacker was finally convicted.