Show of courage

Brave victim speaks out

The child victim of rape bid beast Nicholas Craig has bravely spoken out about her abuse hell after the predator was put behind bars.

The East Kilbride youngster, who was just 13 at the time of the terrifying ordeal, struggled to cope with her stolen innocence.

Suffering from anxiety and having panic attacks, she dropped out of school and locked herself away, too afraid to leave the house.

She was targeted by her abuser’s family and friends and school bullies who branded her a liar, made to endure a two-year long, traumatic wait for justice and doubted whether she could ever trust anyone again.

But, in a remarkable show of courage, the girl, now 16, exclusively told the News she is determined that she won’t let her attacker win.

As the depraved dad-of-three was remanded in custody for the rape bid, she said: “I’m going to live my life. I’m the victim, he’s the one in the wrong.”

Craig, 34, denied the serious sexual assault but was unanimously found guilty by a jury after a four-day trial at the High Court in Glasgow last week.

The jobless creep now faces a minimum of four years in jail as he awaits sentence next month.

After finally getting justice, his young victim said: “I’m happy and relieved by the verdict. I feel a weight has been lifted that’s been hanging over me for a while.

“I now feel safe and more confident when out because I know he is now no longer walking the streets and can’t hurt me or any other little girls.

“I feel no sentence would be long or good enough, but the maximum sentence possible could maybe ease the pain and hurt a little so all the family will be able to move forward knowing he’s locked up and got some punishment.”

Giving evidence via video, the girl, who can’t legally be named, told the court Craig was looking after her at a house in the town while her mother was working.

Asked what happened, she sobbed as she said: “He asked me to give him a hug.

He was hugging and kissing and touching me. I didn’t know what was happening, he pulled down his trousers.

“I was a bit shocked and a bit scared as well. He lay down on the bed with me.

“I was facing down. I didn’t know what happened. I was shocked and upset.”

Asked how Craig was, she answered: “He carried on as if it was a normal thing to do.”

The girl told us: “I was off school that day unwell. When it happened I jumped up and jumped straight in the shower for like 30 minutes and was crying, that’s when I told my friend about it on Snapchat.

“I went into school upset the next day and ran out of class. I got taken to the head of my year group and I just told her what happened.

“They phoned social work and the police and then within an hour the social workers were out and spoke to me and took me to the police station.

“I gave my first statement and went to the hospital and got a medical done and went home. It was scary.

“They came and spoke to my mum and eventually they called us and said they got him.

“I went to the school first because I knew if I told my mum, my mum probably would have ended up being in jail for murder.”

Facing sexual assault and voyeurism charges, Craig admitted making a recording of the girl’s buttocks and touching them. He was also found guilty of making or recording a moving image of him touching a woman’s buttocks years before the rape bid.

The girl added: “It was hard to go out after, I was off school for months but I’m getting there, I’ve had help and support.

“I’m not completely over it, I’m still not sleeping at night and sleeping all day but now that

I’m older I don’t want to spend the rest of my days locked away in the house.

“I am getting better.”

Speaking to the News about her abuse hell, the teen claimed that

Craig’s sick fascination with her began when she was just five-years old.

She alleged the police found incriminating videos on his phone and computer dating back to 2009.

“The police found videos from when I was five,” she said. “The first one I was aware of was from when I was nine.

“I didn’t think anything of it, but he made me feel uncomfortable. And he would always buy me things.”

Despite the court case looming over him, the teen revealed that Craig’s family believed his lies and, shockingly, resorted to abusing her in the street.

“Every time I would see one of his family in the street I was called disgusting and they were calling me a liar, stuff like that,” she said. “His dad drove past me and stuck the finger up at me.

“If they saw me in the street with a friend they would say how can a girl go about happy if that happened?

“I want people to know what he done and be wary, I don’t want it to happen to anyone else. If I didn’t speak out no one would have known, but now people will know what he is.

“And maybe me speaking out will help others come

forward.”