Rape victim condemns attacker’s sentence

Woman speaks out over ‘pathetic’ term handed to her ex for violent assault

A Fife woman who was beaten and raped during a nine-hour ordeal has slammed the “sickening” sentence handed to her attacker.

Stephen Graham appeared at the High Court in Edinburgh yesterday and was jailed for six years.

The 29-year-old was convicted of savagely beating his ex-partner – known as Carin – during their short relationship before raping her in February.

He was also found guilty of two threatening and abusive behaviour charges featuring police officers at a flat in Markinch and at Levenmouth Police Station last September.

Lord Summers handed Graham a five and a half year sentence for the assault and rape charge and a further six months for strangling and beating Carin in January.

His victim, also 29, said she was left feeling “physically sick” after hearing of her attacker’s “pathetic” sentence.

Carin asked that her second name not be used when she waived her anonymity to speak out on the case.

She said: “It actually makes me feel physically sick. I think the justice system is messed up. It doesn’t send a very good message to other victims.

“At the end of the day, if a woman comes forward with something like this, it’ll mentally rip them apart.

“To admit something like this, it’s a massive hit on your life.

“I was in that dock for four and half hours and I was terrorised by his defence.

“He ripped me to shreds. Going through that pain, emotionally it came close to how I felt on the night he raped me.

“So to get a sentence like this, I feel that justice clearly hasn’t been served. I worry that other victims will see this now and think, why should they put themselves through the pain and suffering for a pathetic sentence like this.”

She added: “Even though I didn’t get the result I had hoped for in terms of the sentencing, anyone who has been a victim of something like this should still report it.

“People who do this kind of thing deserve to be named and shamed and reported to the police.”

Detective Inspector Paul Dick from Glenrothes CID said: “Stephen Graham is a violent and predatory individual who carried out a horrific and terrifying attack on a woman, who was left extremely distressed and traumatised by this ordeal.

“It is only because of her courage in coming forward to report the abuse she suffered that we were able to ensure Graham was brought to justice for his crimes and will now serve a custodial sentence.

“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the uniform staff who initially attended the incident and the continued hard work of the detectives and officers who progressed the inquiry to its conclusion.”

Defence solicitor advocate Chris Fyffe said his client maintained he had not behaved in the way that was described on the night of the rape despite DNA evidence.

He added that Graham’s family, who were in court, were supportive of him but did not “condone his criminal behaviour”.

A relative shouted “we love you Stephen” as he was led from the dock to begin serving his sentence which will be back-dated to December.

Fife woman Carin – who asked only to be identified by her first name – said she felt “sickened” that Stephen Graham was given just six years for beating and raping her.