‘Bala’s mates tried to bully me’

As if the indignity and horror of the attack itself wasn’t enough, Bala’s victim was harrassed and intimidated by his mates in the run up to the trial.

The 23-year-old told us how Bala and his friends tried to contact her and threaten her on social media – even turning up at her house.

Things got so bad during the trial, the Sheriff closed the court to allow her to give evidence freely.

She told us:“There was a screen when I was giving evidence so I couldn’t see him, but his friends were sitting in the front row staring at me throughout my evidence.

“It got so bad they closed the court.

“But even before this he was getting his friends to befriend mine on Facebook, and not realising who they were if my friends were at my house, they would tag along – basically to spy on me and intimidate me.”

Now the trial has finished, Bala’s victim wants to find her identity again and rebuild her life.

She added:“My life has been on hold.

“And as difficult as the trial was, after the verdict – for the first time in nearly two years – I felt I could breathe again.

“I had been believed.

“It’s his turn to have his life destroyed like mine has been. If and when he is back out on the streets, I want other women to see his face and know to stay away.

“For him to do what he did to me, in front of so many people, I honestly think he must have done it before and gotten away with it.

“But for me, the most important thing now is to get my life back. To get back to work, which I loved, and speaking out is a big part of it.”