A RAPE victim has pleaded for others who have been through similar experiences to come forward and get the help they need.

The woman was raped in Wiltshire in 2008 and a man has since been convicted of the offence.

The victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, spoke of her experiences during a sexual offences awareness conference with police and other agencies at Gablecross police station.

The event was designed to dispel myths about the police process and the subsequent court case for rape victims.

She said: “It is nobody’s right to try what is effectively a destruction of somebody.

“Anybody who has had a sexual assault, I would implore them to come forward for the good of society, but also for their own benefit.

“It is important they receive the maximum help, which I have received.”

Following the attack, the woman attended the New Swindon Sanctuary Sexual Assault Referral Centre, which sits opposite the police station at Gablecross.

Through the centre she received counselling and support.

She said the police and other agencies had been very supportive and professional throughout the process to the court proceedings.

“It was great reassurance to me and my family,” she said.

“I felt at the time of the assault total and absolute terror.

“It’s buried, but comes back in dreams.

“I didn’t understand until after this what the meaning of the word trauma actually was, it’s a word we use loosely too much.

“For me it was fear, I thought I was going to die.

“Anybody who is raped or violently sexually attacked would feel that, some degree of absolute terror.

“The counselling helped me immensely.”

The woman had to wait just over a year for the conviction and endure giving evidence to the court.

She said: “It seemed a long time, you will appreciate you are living in a black cloud with the occasional shaft of sunlight breaking through.

“You didn’t want to feel that somebody got away through a loophole that could have been closed.”

Like other victims, she was able to visit the court prior to the case and was given the right to choose whether she wanted to appear in court or give evidence via a video link.

“It was important that that liberty was not taken away from me, to appear as me as I am now,” the victim said.

“That protection is there, it’s the best that can be given.

“I found the questions of the defending counsel quite intrusive and very hard to take.

“It was as well organised and supportive as it could be.”

After the offender was convicted, the woman said she felt relieved.

She said: “I’m firmly of the opinion that somebody who gets away with a sexual assault will do it again.

“Even if it’s a close member of your family or a friend of yours please come and say what’s happened to you.

“If you come forward you are beginning the process, which helps you to go on with your life.

“Otherwise it can remain in your head and affect your life.

“It has to be faced, people shouldn’t be able to get away with it.”

Offences can be reported by calling police on 0845 408 7000 or the SARC on their 24-hour phoneline 0808 168 0024.