He has not been punished for the attack. I have a life sentence
lost vital evidence relating to her case – including transcripts of the text messages her attacker sent her after the rape.
She said: “It felt like injustice was being heaped upon injustice. But I wasn’t giving up and eventually the criminal injuries board relented and agreed to consider my case.”
Anita was put through a gruelling seven tribunal hearings, in which she was forced to recount every detail of her rape. She said: “It It was like being raped all over again every single time. It has left me completely drained.” But while her close family and friends rallied round, others cast her aside. Tearfully, she said: “This has really taught me who my true friends are. Some people have turned their backs on me and it’s been really hard to take. “One of my neighbours called me disgusting and told me I should keep q quiet about being g raped as I had children. “An “Another mum on the schoolhool run to told me she’d have liked to have b been my friend but didn’tn’t feel sh she could associate with h someo someone who’d been a victim of a c crime like this.” A Anita faced further he heartache when her be beloved mum Elizabethh d died of pancreatitis, agedd 5 57, four days beforeore C Christmas 2015. She said: “Mum had been my r rock throughout everythingh andd even on h her deathbed she made me promise I wo wouldn’t give up fighting. ““It had torn her to pieces to see her little girl s so distraught because there was nothing she co could do to make it better. She never wanted another mum to feel that pain.” Las Last month, the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority ruled in Anita’s favour after her lawyers proved, on the balance of probabilities, the rape took place. She said: “The officer who led my case has never apologised. She gave evidence at my tribunal but she couldn’t meet my eye. “It’d have meant so much to me if she’d just said a simple sorry. I’ll never get closure as long g as my y attacker is walking the streets. He should be in jail. “I stillst wake in the night, drenched in sweat,sw after nightmares about th that evening. But at least now p people can see I was telling the truth.” A Suffolk Constabulary spokesman said: “The original investigation into Ms Grinham’sG c omplaint recognisedr the standard of investigationin into her criminal alle allegation was inadequate, and that the service provided was not up to theh requisite standard. “While no misconduct was identified, the IPCC made recommendations including that advice be given to investigator’s supervisors, which was carried out in 2012. “A formal apology was also made in writing at this time.”