Hollyoaks' Rayne makes false sexual assault accusation against Prince
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The following article contains discussion of false accusations of sexual assault and self-harm that may be distressing for some readers.
Hollyoaks spoilers follow.
Rayne Royce has made a false allegation of sexual assault against Prince McQueen in Hollyoaks.
This issue-based storyline will examine the consequences of false sexual assault allegations, which the Crown Prosecution Service says are "serious but rare".
According to Full Fact, around 3-4% of reported sexual assaults in England and Wales are based on false reporting, but they can taint the vast majority of true allegations that are reported to police.
Not all false reportings can imply malicious intent, as circumstances and events surrounding sexual assault can sometimes be complex to process for both those reporting and the authorities who receive those reports.
Related: Hollyoaks star Lily Best hints at huge Rayne and Lizzie twist
In the fictional story depicted in Hollyoaks, there is no question that Rayne has concocted a false allegation against Prince in order to isolate boyfriend Romeo Nightingale from his friends.
In Thursday's (July 27) first-look episode, the show recapped disturbing events where Rayne promised to look after Prince after he'd seemingly had his drink spiked.
"Don't worry, I'm here to look after you," she told him as she escorted him back home.
Viewers then heard a voiceover from Rayne, where she could be heard saying: "The truth doesn't come into it. All that matters is what people see."
Next, Rayne was shown crying as her friends returned home from a night out and later they confronted Prince when he finally awoke from his drunken night. Romeo accused Prince of "trying it on" with Rayne and then not taking "no for an answer" when she protested, all while Rayne sat silently nearby throughout the row.
Prince denied doing anything wrong, but Nadira pointed out that everyone noticed how drunk he was before he left with Rayne. However, she also encouraged Romeo to give Prince a chance to explain.
Prince admitted he couldn't remember anything from the night before. Rayne rushed out of the room, telling her friends she wasn't going to police because she wanted to "forget" the previous night.
After Romeo threw Prince out of the house, Lacey approached Rayne in private to ask "what really happened" the night before.
Rayne concocted a story about how Prince had tried to kiss her once they'd got home, refusing to stop even as she demanded him to do so.
Flashback footage showed that Rayne had actually laid an unconscious Prince on Romeo's bed and then started unbuttoning his shirt so he'd appear disheveled. She then splashed water on her face to simulate tears.
"You believe me right?" she asked Lacey.
When Prince met up with brother Hunter, he admitted he was now starting to question the possibility that he'd "tried something" with Rayne.
Related: Hollyoaks star Frank Kauer promises redemption story for Mason Chen-Williams
"I can't remember because maybe I was just too drunk," he confided in his brother.
Hunter reminded Prince that he's got a history of passing out when drunk — adding that throwing Prince into the shower at his recent birthday party wasn't even enough to wake him up.
Prince raised the possibility that Rayne could decide to go to police, admitting that if his own friends didn't believe him, the police surely wouldn't either.
"The truth always comes out in the end," Hunter assured him.
Back at the house share, Rayne was already backing away from her original story when Romeo called Prince "a snake". When Romeo reiterated that Prince had assaulted her, Rayne hedged by saying: "Yeah, but not really… He didn't actually do anything."
The allegation caused an understandable panic among the female roommates, given that Lizzie had previously been spiked and Maxine was attacked last year.
Lizzie suggested Rayne go to the police, only for Rayne to retort that she was "sick and tired" of even talking about the accusation.
"It's happened, now can you please just leave me alone?" she asked her friends.
Romeo then came to comfort Rayne, apologising for letting her down and vowing he'd make sure nothing else bad happened to her.
"[Prince] was really drunk and maybe this whole thing was just a misunderstanding," Rayne told him.
In the final scene of the episode, Rayne was shown raising the temperature of the water in the faucet as Romeo stood outside the door. Romeo eventually entered to tell Rayne he was planning to have it out with Prince, but found her with a burn on her arm. Romeo recognised what seemingly happened and pulled her in for a hug.
Related: Hollyoaks star Jemma Donovan promises huge Rayne story climax
An evil smile crept over Rayne's face in the climactic final moment, since she knew that self-harm was a trigger for Romeo due to his past relationship with the late Lily McQueen.
"It's alright," Romeo assured Rayne as they embraced.
Cast member Lily Best, who plays Lizzie, has revealed that there will be big twists to come in the storyline, as the roommates get "sucked into some of Rayne's evil plans".
Hollyoaks streams first online via Channel 4, with new episodes dropping each weekday morning. The show airs Mondays to Fridays at 6.30pm on Channel 4, and at 7pm on E4.
Selected omnibus episodes are available via Prime Video.
Read more Hollyoaks spoilers on our dedicated homepage
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