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He knocked on my door and said: 'I believe you'

How the friendship of a stranger helped Betsy when she needed it most.

Betsy Sailor was living alone at university in the late 1970s when a man broke into her apartment and raped her at knifepoint. He was later caught, and it turned out he was a student, and a player on the successful Penn State football team. Taking him to court was a daunting task but then a fellow football player, Irv Pankey, stepped up and told Betsy he was on her side and would look after her. Their remarkable friendship changed the course of Betsy’s life.

Film clip: Betsy and Irv/ Nicole Noren/ ESPN Films

Presenter: Mobeen Azhar
Producer: Rebecca Vincent

(Photo: Irv Pankey and Betsy Sailor. Credit: Mary F. Calvert/ESPN Films)

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41 minutes

Last on

Tue 22 Nov 202203:06GMT
BBC World Service except South Asia

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