Victim's Facebook bid to keep rapist in jail waives anonymity 'for justice'

Published on Monday 6 September 2010 18:42

NICKY Jones was a 13-year-old schoolgirl when a rapist robbed her of her childhood.

• Nicky Jones: 'I lost out on my childhood. I still have nightmares and panic attacks' Picture: Peter Jolly

Now, at the age of 25, she has waived her right to anonymity in a courageous bid to ensure that Karl Roberts, the man who abused her, remains behind bars until he has completed his eight-year sentence for raping her and another teenage girl.

Roberts, 41, was jailed at the High Court in Edinburgh in February, 2007, after he admitted repeatedly raping Ms Jones and another girl between 1997 and 2001 in the Moray town of Lossiemouth.

Their four-year ordeal ended only after Ms Jones contacted the police in 2005 about the years of abuse she had suffered.

Ms Jones, who has started a new life in Inverness, where she works as a support worker for a charity, had hoped Roberts would have to remain in prison until he has completed his eight-year sentence.

But she has decided to waive her right to remain an anonymous victim of rape to launch an internet petition, calling for the public's backing in an effort to keep the rapist behind bars, after being told last week that Roberts will be eligible to apply for parole in January next year.

"I was absolutely outraged that he could be out of prison next year," she said. "I never thought eight years was enough for what he did. I am living a life sentence and there is not one day that doesn't go by that it's not in your head. Every day you see stories in the newspapers about other people who have been raped and abused and it just brings it all back.

"I was terrified when I learned that he could be back on the streets next year. There is a possibility that he could do it again. And that is why I am doing all I can to keep him in prison."

Ms Jones said the decision to waive her anonymity was one of the most difficult she had ever made.

But she said: "I am putting myself on the line because sometimes it is better to see the person, because it seems more real. It is not just a story about some anonymous victim. And I want justice, not just for myself, but for other women who are out there.

"I lost out on my childhood and my adolescence because of him and I still have constant nightmares and panic attacks because of what happened. I also suffered from depression and tried to kill myself because of it.

"And it not just me and my family who suffer. The community suffers because people don't know if this guy is going to be released into their community. He could be living next door to somebody without them knowing."

Almost 100 members of the public have already signed the online petition on Facebook.

Ms Jones said: "The response has been fantastic.The fact that so many people are already supporting me fills me with so much happiness, it really does. I don't feel alone.

"I have until October to present my case to the parole board and I hope to keep the petition going until then. I want them to know it's just not me that feels that this man should not be released, but hundreds of ordinary folk."

In her latest posting on the website, Ms Jones states: "I'm all for giving people second chances, but these people who continue for long periods of time to destroy lives should not be pitied! They should suffer like the victims, families and communities do. If they are brazen enough to do it and think they can get away with it, and know exactly what they are doing, we must fight to keep them inside! To those out there silent and afraid I wish them the courage and strength that I have found!"

A spokeswoman for Rape Crisis Scotland said: "Most people don't realize that when someone is in prison for a fixed term, they are automatically eligible for parole halfway through that sentence. Contemplating your rapist's release after such a short time can cause significant distress to survivors. The priority in any consideration of parole must always be women's safety."

A spokesman for the parole board said it did not comment on individual cases.