Sexual assault victim: ‘I wanted to be able to forgive him. I wanted to let go and have closure’

Rachel is one of the 10% of sexual assault victims who saw her assailant caught and sentenced. But she still wanted to see him face to face, writes Cormac O’Keeffe

Meeting her attacker had a “profound” effect on Rachel, “liberating” and “empowering” at the same time.

The victim of a stranger sexual attack, an ordeal lasting for almost an hour, Rachel said she was left “deeply affected and traumatised”.