The face of a rapist – victim says Rainham attacker ‘deserves every second’ of his sentence
Brett Clifford has been jailed for nine years - Credit: Archant
The victim of a brutal rape said her attacker “deserved every second” of the nine years he had been sentenced to.
Brett Clifford, of Parsonage Road, Rainham, was found guilty on Friday at Basildon Crown Court of rape and sexual assault.
The woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, said: “I was really worried about reporting it, as he told me the police would not take me seriously but they really did. The police worked really hard to get the truth out and they did.”
The trial lasted five days before the jury reached their verdict.
“He told me we were going to have sex and I said ‘no’.
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“He said he was going to rape me and threw a bottle of Coke over me so I had to get changed.
“He told me there was no need to get dressed as he would just rip the clothes off and rape me.”
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The rape and sexual assault by the 35-year-old happened in the early hours last year.
She said: “It was bad. Afterwards I was in a weird state but the police were really good. He was arrested the night I reported it and I went into a refuge.
“I was really worried that the police would not take me seriously but they really did.”
The jury took four hours and 23 minutes to reach their 10-2 guilty verdict.
The woman said: “I was quite surprised by the length of sentence. I was really glad – he deserves every second. I can finally move on and get some sort of normality in my life.”
“The police said victims often do not give evidence. I just thought to myself – I’m not going to let him get away with it. Enough’s enough and luckily it turned out good.”
•If you have been the victim of sexual assault, call the Rape and Abuse Line free of charge on 0808 802 9999.
