STUDENT SPEAKS OF HER RAPE HELL
JUDGE CALLED HORRIFIC CITY ATTACK ‘STUFF OF NIGHTMARES’
A STUDENT who was followed and violently raped in Cardiff city centre has spoken of the impact the horrific attack has had on her life.
The young woman was walking through the city centre at 12.30am on May 20 last year after a night out with friends.
She had been in Cardiff for a matter of months as part of a year abroad from her university in North America.
As she made her way past the Hilton hotel, she was spotted by 38-year-old Antony Guy.
Guy followed her and raped her near Cardiff Crown Court.
Last week he was sentenced to 12 years in prison at the same court, where a judge described him as “the stuff of nightmares”.
His victim, now home in North America, has spoken to the Echo about the horrific experience and her battle for justice.
“I wanted the story out there from a victim of a really terrible crime,” she said.
“I don’t think this is a thing to be ashamed of, though, and I want people to feel comfortable talking about it.
“Although it is a really bad thing, I don’t think it’s something you should hide from your life.”
After the attack, she managed to get back to where she was staying and her friends immediately called the police.
She said: “It was traumatic to say the least. It was not a nice process to go through, dealing with all the tests and kits they had to get done.
“The first few weeks after it happened I basically just stayed in my bed.
“I had my exams coming up so I had to go and study, but stayed pretty close to my home and went to places like Hoffi Coffi as there were more students there and we were sure he wasn’t a student.
“I didn’t feel safe walking through the city centre in Cardiff to go to a coffee shop because they didn’t know who this man was.
“This was in a city I had called my home for six months. It is still like a second home to me. It was a terrible feeling to not feel safe in my own home.
“I didn’t want to make an effort any more to make new friends or even be polite to strangers.
“Where I am from I feel that if someone speaks to you on the street you would say hello and smile at people, but I didn’t even feel comfortable doing that.”
Since Guy was convicted, his victim says it has helped her get closure and she appealed to other women to come forward if they have been a victim. She said: “It is scary. The trial was awful and very difficult for me but it is also a very liberating thing to do and it is something you need to do for yourself. You deserve so much more than what was taken from you.
“Luckily I met some of the most incredible people I have met in my life in Cardiff. They made me feel like a human again. They made me feel like a person and not just an object to take something from.”