Rape victim forced to live.just minutes from abuser

A rape victim has been forced to live just minutes from her attacker despite assurances from the government that a plan would be put in place before his release to prevent them coming into contact.

- MILLIE COOKE

Christopher Lawson, who was jailed for 16 years in 2017 for the rape and indecent assault of a girl from the age of eight, was released on parole last week after serving half his sentence.

As part of the terms of his release, he has been made the subject of an exclusion zone, which prohibits him from going to a particular place or area.

But the zone is just several streets wide, with a number of key amenities that are close to both the victim’s and the perpetrator’s homes not included.

Ahead of his release, local MP Kate Osborne requested an urgent review on behalf of the victim, citing concerns that it would be “almost impossible for the [victim and the perpetrator] not to come into contact”.

“I also wish for this matter to be brought to the personal attention of the secretary of state, as I believe there is significant public interest in this case”, Ms Osborne wrote in a letter to prisons minister James Timpson.

In his response, seen by The Independent, Lord Timpson vowed that Lawson would “only be released once the Probation Service have put in place a plan to manage him safely”.