A mum who was raped by a monster out on bail for another attack on her just weeks earlier has broken her silence to demand a change in the law.
Evil Harpal Singh Sehra repeatedly raped Julie Spence as her three children slept upstairs in their home in Ballingry, Fife, just 12 days after being granted bail while facing allegations of assault and abduction of her.
The judgment came despite Sehra having three previous convictions for assault to severe injury.
Now Julie has courageously waived her right to anonymity as a victim of sex crime to tell her story in a hope other survivors like her can be helped.
She had launched a drive for signatures to ensure rapists serve at least 20 years behind bars after Sehra was given four years for his brutal attack on her.
Julie, 40, told the Record she had since left her hometown due to the fear of him ever returning and was still “raped every day” in her mind.
She said: “I was raped and almost died and the lives of my three children were left in tatters.
“I was so frightened for my safety and I wasn’t strong enough to tell my story then.
“I chose to leave where I had grown up my whole life, for safety reasons.
“How does this man walk out from that courtroom every time he commits offences?
“I was very hurt when I found he was only getting four years in jail. That just seems like no justice.
“Rape survivors out there are committing suicide because they feel like they’re going through this process which is an absolute nightmare. The rapist gets four years and I’m left with flashbacks of it all the time.
“When someone is raped by a rapist they don’t get raped just once – they get raped over and over in the form of flashbacks and memories.
“Most rape survivors are left with suicidal tendencies so every day it becomes a challenge just to survive.
“I just hope the campaign can bring some justice to rape survivors and their sons and daughters going forward.
“My friend committed suicide last year after being raped.
“Some just can’t handle the aftermath and decide to go to heaven. I’m fighting for the rape survivors both in heaven and earth.”
Julie was raped on April 23, 2011, and a decade on she is still dealing with the trauma.
She was 31 when attacked by Sehra, who was out on bail at the time.
The rapist had been released from prison in 2010 and placed on an at-risk register after serving nine months for beating Julie.
Julie said she alerted the police to suspicious behaviour in the town from her attacker after his release, which provoked the brutal rape at her home.
After he was bailed, police gave the mum a panic alarm but Julie was unable to use it after being overpowered by the brute.
Questions were asked at the time as to why bail had been allowed by Lord Frank Mullholland.
Changes in the law have since been made but Julie is now fighting for tougher sentences.
She said: “Since then, the bailing system has changed and got tighter on its own.
“The bailing system failed me and although I don’t blame Lord Frank Mullholland personally I’m pretty annoyed that he has never explained why he let that happen.
“Sehra was released in 2009 on licence to be good and not to harm me again. He was sentenced to 18 months and did half that and was released after nine.
“It was a year later I found he posed a risk to me and the rest of the community.
“He began to attack me in 2011 when I began to raise the alarm and I felt very brave.
“The police were very supportive of me and gave me a panic alarm in the beginning. He raped me and almost killed me. I managed to fight him back and save my own life that night.
"All I’m trying to do is protect my community and I’m really proud of myself because I did.
“How many people could he rape if he only got four years? How many lives could he destroy?”
Julie is a supporter of the Scottish Protectors group, which alerts authorities to suspected child sex offenders. She said she previously raised the alarm over fears of a man in her area. He later left the area.
Julie said: “I’m really proud of myself because I did protect my community.”
Sehra has since been in and out of court on drugs charges. In October, he was jailed for three years for drug trafficking.
Julie added: “It has taken a decade for me to speak out about my case but I was living in fear for a lot of years.
"The man was sentenced to prison after the attacks against me and I had to be moved about for four, almost five years, to feel safe.
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“I don’t see myself as a victim but a true rape survivor. Even though, after a decade, I still have flashbacks, and suffer emotionally – I’m not doing this for a sympathy vote.
“I will campaign till the day I die over this matter. To bring real justice for all over the crime rape.”
She has written to local politicians in Fife. Annabelle Ewing MSP said she had raised Julie’s case.
She said: “I have a great deal of sympathy for Ms Spence and wrote to the Lord Advocate on her behalf raising the general issues around bail about which she is now concerned.”
Willie Rennie MSP said: “Julie is brave to speak up with such clarity and compassion.
“I have been corresponding with the Justice Secretary on the bail issue that she raised and am satisfied that the new bail arrangements would have prevented what Julie experienced if they had been in place at the time.”
To sign Julie's petition click here.
