A WOMAN has met the man who raped her, more than a decade after she was attacked.

Susan - not her real name - has spoken out about her experience as part of International Restorative Justice Week, and hopes to encourage other victims of crime to take part in the service.

For more than a decade after she was raped in York in 2006, Susan said she “felt fear and danger all around”, following the attack, and struggled to come to terms with what had happened. She suffered with low self-esteem and guilt, and was referred to Remedi - an organisation which works with North Yorkshire Police’s Supporting Victims service, and is funded by the Police and Crime Commissioner - to consider what would help her to feel better.

Susan decided the best way for her to move on would be to face her offender - who has since been released on licence - hear what he had to say and have him answer her questions.

She said the meeting, which was planned by Remedi, opened with her attacker announcing “I was a predator”, which helped Susan feel relief, and realise she had no responsibility for her ordeal.

Susan said: “That shocked me because I had been preparing to think that I’d done something wrong, that I’d provoked him and then taken his life away by sending him to prison, instead I realised that he’d had meetings with Remedi, had gone through the probation service and realised that what he had done was wrong.

“To hear that he didn’t blame me was really pivotal. I walked out almost euphoric. I hadn’t realised that I’d been walking around very suspicious of people, and now I could walk out knowing that this person had been dealt with. It makes a difference every day, I feel so much lighter without carrying so much fear.”

Restorative Justice Week runs until Sunday (NOV 26), and Julia Mulligan met with Susan to hear about her experience.

She said: “Susan is incredibly brave for going through this process, but I am glad to hear just how beneficial it has been for her.

“I have funded a restorative justice service for many years now, and every time I speak to someone who has been through the process they always have a positive story to tell. As well as supporting victims and helping them recover, there’s lots of evidence that it also makes the perpetrator think about the impact of what they’ve done, take responsibility and make amends.”

Anyone who has been a victim of crime and wants to find out more about restorative justice can contact Supporting Victims on 01609 643100.

Mrs Mulligan said: “Restorative justice is an incredibly important and impactive process to be a part of and I’m really keen to make sure as many people know about it as possible. Please don’t be afraid to ask for it if you think it could be of benefit, just like it has been for Susan.”