James said: “When I was writing and researching Dead Like You, Sussex and all other police forces in the UK were institutionally sexist.
“If a woman was raped, she would go into a police station and the sergeant would take one look at her and say, ‘Well, you went out wearing that mini-skirt, what did you expect?’
“Sussex Police were pioneers. They were the first police force in England to have a dedicated rape suite. It’s called a SARC. It was adjunct to Crawley hospital.
“A female rape victim would be treated entirely by women.
“From the moment she reported the rape she would be put in a sterile corridor, taken straight to the SARC where she would then be forensically examined and with huge sympathy.”
Adding: “The amount of clear-up for rape 30 years ago was appallingly low. Sussex Police made a dramatic difference.”
Grace season 3 starts on Sunday, March 19 at 8pm
