COUNSELLORS at Southampton Rape Crisis are gearing themselves for a flood of calls from sex attack victims following harrowing revelations from TV celebrity Ulrika Jonsson.

Her decision to go public about her date rape ordeal at the hands of a mystery television presenter is bound to prompt many local women to seek help, said a representative from Southampton Rape Crisis.

She told the Daily Echo that whenever there was a high-profile discussion of rape in the media, calls to the city service increased.

"If there is a storyline in EastEnders or Brookside - or when something big like this breaks in the media - it does have an impact for us.

"We are expecting a response in the coming weeks from Ulrika's story - it may set off memories for women and make them think about contacting us," said the woman, who calls herself Julie.

She defended Ulrika's decision not to seek help from the police at the time of the attack.

Julie said she understood women's reluctance to go to court when the conviction rates at between seven to nine per cent are the lowest in Europe.

"It isn't helpful to criticise Ulrika and say she should have gone to the police.

"A great many of the people we work with here haven't been to the police.

"That may be because the man was someone they know or someone who seems quite respectable - they are frightened people will think they made it up.

"The important thing is that women seek help. When they contact us they know that we are going to believe them and understand what they are saying," she said.

Ulkria's ordeal in 1988 left her in hospital with internal injuries, and her traumatic experience has been met with a wave of public sympathy.

There is also growing speculation over the identity of her date rape attacker.

PR guru Max Clifford said he had not spoken to the man at the centre of the allegations since a conversation with him on Monday.

Clifford stressed that the man is not one of his clients but revealed he had spoken with him on the phone and had advised him to publicly deny the claims.

He said: "I told him that if he were one of my clients - which he isn't - I would say that 'No comment' doesn't sound very good at all.

"From a PR perspective, 'No comment' sounds like an admission of guilt.

"There is a cloud hanging over him.

"I don't think he's going to take my advice but if someone were to accuse me of rape, I would either find it hysterically funny because it was so ridiculous, or feel angry and indignant and want to deny it."

Southampton Rape Crisis can be contacted on 023 8063 6313.