A remarkable woman whose calm dignity should inspire us all
I WAS very saddened to hear of the death of Jill Saward, aged just 51.
Jill was the incredibly brave woman who was the first victim of rape to waive her right to anonymity in order to help others.
Thirty years ago, when she was just 21, Jill was watching TV with her boyfriend when her father, the local vicar, answered a knock at the door.
Three men burst in, demanding money and jewellery, which neither Jill or her dad possessed.
Enraged the men went on the rampage in the vicarage.
Jill was repeatedly raped at knifepoint by two of the men and her father and boyfriend were almost beaten to death with cricket bats.
It was a crime that shocked the nation.
Jill, a rather naive young virgin at the time, had been subjected to the most heinous of crimes.
You would have thought it couldn’t get any worse. But it did.
The doctor performing the examination could barely speak English and was brusque and insensitive to the traumatised young woman.
Then during the trial the judge, an out of touch buffoon called Sir John Leonard, said her trauma “had not been so great”.
I will never forget my anger when the judge made this crass comment, an anger that only grew more intense when he sentenced the three men for their awful crimes.
The two rapists received shorter sentences for their attacks on Jill than the man who did not attack her and committed burglary.
When violent rape is considered less of a crime than theft, the law really is an ass.
In the immediate aftermath of the trial, Jill contemplated suicide so great was her despair, but this strong woman decided to live.
She refused to be bitter, and decided she had to help other women who had gone through the same horrific ordeal.
She campaigned tirelessly to change the law and won a series of measures including the abolishment of accused rapists being allowed to cross-examine victims in the witness box. I interviewed her several times and one of the most moving was for a BBC Radio Scotland documentary on the power of forgiveness. Jill, remarkably, forgave her attackers.
She felt it was the only way to move forward and to take away any power they had over
her.
Her words had a real impact on me and on our listeners. Her faith remained and her calm dignity was inspirational.
Her work in helping rape victims is immeasurable.
She changed attitudes , particularly among the police and judicial system. She spend hours with women who has been sexually assaulted, listened and gave them hope and dignity.
I was struck by her resilience and generosity of spirit. She spoke, frankly, of the effect the rape had on her life and although she didn’t want these acts of violence to define her, she managed to turn something horrific into a positive by using her pain to help others.
I was always surprised that Jill didn’t receive an award for her work. I’m sure she would have been delighted to have had the recognition that comes with being on the honours list.
Even after death Jill continues to help people.
She was an organ donor and will give new life and to others. A truly remarkable human being.