Dad raped daughter, 13, branded her with tattoo and 'treated her as his wife'
A man raped his own daughter when she was 13 years old, branded her with a tattoo and treated her as if she was his wife, the victim has said.
In the 1980s, Elliott Appleyard sexually abused Carol Higgins and even put an engagement ring on her finger, telling her they would "live happily ever after".
The girl was also taken to a tattoo parlour by her dad to have a rose and his nickname on her shoulder as a "branded declaration of love".
Appleyard was finally jailed for 20 years in 2019 for his crimes, which were first reported to the police in 1985.
They were committed at the home he shared with his daughter after his wife had left him.
Man in 30s dies after being stabbed in park sparking police probe
Appleyard raped his teenage daughter and treated her "as his wife" (Carol Higgins / SWNS)
Carol Higgins outside Leeds Crown Court (SWNS)Ms Higgins told the court in 2019 that her father "wanted to treat me like a wife" and told her they would "live together happily ever after".
The woman, now 54, has released a book, detailing the trial, hoping that her story can help other victims of abuse and make her overcome the "emotional trauma" she experienced.
She said: "It has been difficult to write because it's invoked a lot of emotions. It's also been cathartic in a way, as all my feelings and frustrations are coming out from the tears I've cried.
"I'm still on my healing journey, but it's helped me overcome my emotional trauma and I would encourage other people to do the same.
"I decided to write the book as I wanted to raise awareness for sexual abuse inside the home. It's not talked about enough. There's plenty of education for children on stranger danger and abuse outside the home, but what about inside?
"When I was being abused, I thought it was normal for so long. I thought what my dad was doing to me was normal.
"Incest is rife in the UK and there's not enough being done about it. I've found that a lot of people feel very uncomfortable taking about familial rape because people don't want children to know that their parents are capable of raping them.
"I had to pay £5,400 for the trial transcript. I left school with no qualifications and I'm dyslexic, so I paid people to help me with the grammar side of the book too.
Carol has written her second book which comes out this weekend (SWNS)"But if this book raises awareness and helps just one child, then what happened to me won't be in vain."
Her new book, Conquering the Impossible: Justice, is the second in a trilogy she is writing about her life.
Russian model killed after calling Putin a 'psychopath' was strangled by her ex
She published her first book in 2015, called Conquering the Impossible: Making the Dream come true, which told the story of her climb up Kilimanjaro and battle with bowel cancer.
Carol's father was convicted of five counts of rape and 10 counts of indecent assault and sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2019.
A jury of seven women and four men took less than two hours to unanimously find Appleyard guilty of 15 charges following a seven-day trial.
Carol first reported the abuse to police in 1985 but was told it would "blacken her name" if she pursued it and would be considered "the biggest slag going", as heard in court in 2019.
The woman, who is now a mum of two, went to the police again in 2005 and 2012 before a full investigation was finally launched in 2015.
She claims "systemic failures" continue to haunt her, as her father is now in a category C prison and is due to enter an "open prison" in 2026 - only seven years after his sentencing.
Carol has also opened a civil case against West Yorkshire Police due to the way her case was handled from 2005 to the 2019 trial.
She said: "This is about institutional failing. What message does it send that my father is in a category C prison and will be in an open prison not even ten years after he was sentenced.
"There needs to be a prevention or deterrent but there isn't one. I don't feel like I've been given justice by the justice system which is why I'm writing this book.
"I share my story online as well, and whilst I've had many people saying how brave I am, I've also heard some very sad stories.
"A 78-year-old woman said she had been abused as a child but didn't ever go to the police out of fear that she wouldn't be believed. People are left with that feeling of worthlessness their entire life, and I want to give them the tools to help them which is why I've written this book."
Carol's new book comes out on Sunday and will be available on Amazon and Waterstones.
West Yorkshire Police said: "We're unable to comment due to the ongoing legal proceedings."
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
