"COME forward!" That was the message today from a brave York student to rape victims after she was assaulted after a night out.

The 19-year-old woman spoke out after rapist Clive Manyou was jailed at York Crown Court for six years for the assault.

She said: "I'm speaking out now because I want to urge other victims to come forward and report their attackers.

"What I would say to other victims is just to stay strong, stick to the truth and have faith that you're doing the right thing."

Her appeal came as The Press reported new figures showed only one-in-ten rapes reported in North Yorkshire result in a conviction.

Manyou, 36, was jailed after he manipulated the woman into letting him sleep on the floor of her bedroom.

He then waited until she was asleep and raped her.

Woman's appeal to report attacks

A YORK student whose university career was ruined after she was raped has appealed for other victims to report their attackers.

The 19-year-old woman spoke out after rapist Clive Manyou was jailed at York Crown Court for six years for the assault.

She described the ordeal of being a witness in court as "immensely difficult", but still called for other victims of rape to come forward.

She said: "I'm speaking out now because I want to urge other victims to come forward and report their attackers. It's hard, but you have to stay strong.

"What I would say to other victims is just to stay strong, stick to the truth and have faith that you're doing the right thing."

Her appeal came as The Press reported new figures showed only one-in-ten rapes reported in North Yorkshire result in a conviction.

She added: "I'm not trying to be a martyr or to make myself a heroine. But I think both on a personal level and in the wider scheme of things it is so important to step forward if you've been raped."

Manyou, 36, was jailed last month after the court heard that he manipulated the woman into letting him sleep on the floor of her bedroom after a night out in June. He then waited until she was asleep and raped her.

His victim said the attack had changed her life, but she felt she had to bring Manyou to justice.

"My life has changed in every way possible," she said.

"Seeing the court case through was immensely difficult and more than anything I think I didn't want it to be true. I didn't want it to have happened, I just wanted to pretend everything was okay.

"But regardless of the outcome of the trial, I knew I had to bring it to justice. Rape is such a difficult issue and it has to be addressed more than it is now. So many cases go unreported."

She said at times during the court case she felt it was her, rather than Manyou, who was on trial.

"It was incredibly tough giving evidence in court and I had to be very strong on the stand.

"I certainly felt as if it was me on trial; I was questioned for over three hours.

"Afterwards it was my personal choice to sit through the trial and listen to everything that was said. I didn't have to be there, but I felt like I needed to see it through."

She added: "Initially everything made me so angry: the way they attacked my personality, all the lies. But at the end of the day, I knew what I was doing was right."

The woman was forced to leave the university after the attack but that a lot of her anger towards Manyou had disappeared after he was convicted.

"What happened has hit my confidence in some ways, but I think overall it's made me a lot stronger as a person," she said.

"I've been so lucky. All my friends and family have been 100 per cent behind me.

"I now feel I can rebuild my life without the same barriers holding me back. I think, more than anything, I'm just glad it's all over. My life has been on hold for so long."

The woman also praised police for the way they had dealt with her throughout the case.

"There were so many points after the assault where I thought I can't go through with this'" she said.

"There's still a feeling of shame attached to rape and I think that's why so many go unreported."