'Because of you my body is now worthless': Brave rape victim's extraordinary courtroom outburst leaves attacker in tears

Student Jessica Howard, 23, courageously confronted Clive Howard, no relation, in court telling him "you humiliated me"

Distress: Victim Jessica told a court she had been "violated in every way"

A student left a serial rapist weeping uncontrollably in court as she confronted him over his attack before he was jailed for 10 years.




Clive Howard, 57, admitted carrying out seven rapes, three kidnaps and one attempted rape over a 28 year period.
He sobbed uncontrollably in the dock yesterday as his final victim, Jessica Howard, 23, addressed him directly with a powerful statement.
Bravely waiving her right to anonymity, Jessica said: "Because of you, my body is now worthless to me. You took away my control and because of you my body is now an inanimate object with no worth.
"I wanted to throw up as I recounted what you did to me."

Jessica, who is not related to Howard, has struggled with anxiety, self-harm and an eating disorder as a result of the attack.
She added: "First of all you humiliated me: a close friend of mine saw me naked, saw me screaming and crying on the ground.
"I blame myself for being raped, for getting into your car."
"I had to see my mother's face as she looked at her only daughter after she had been violated in the worst possible way.
"You have made it impossible for me to enjoy moments of happiness. Your attack literally darkens every piece of joy I have."

 

Disgusting: Mechanic Clive Howard is a father of six and may have many more victims

Howard, of Stowmarket, Suffolk, was described as "every woman's living nightmare" as he was jailed for life for at least 10 years and three months.
Norwich Crown Court heard how he targeted lone women in Norfolk and Cambridge between 1986 and 2014.
And after the sentencing hearing detectives revealed that 15 more possible victims have come forward in the last month alone.
Judge Stephen Holt described Howard's reaction as "crocodile tears".
He added: "This was a campaign of sexual offences over many years.

Albanpix

Courage: Jessica Howard waived her anonymity and gave her consent to be pictured in the Press

"Two of the victims describe you spanking them - this is additional humiliation and degradation.
"There was clearly a significant degree of planning and targeting.
"All of the victims' statements show a similar pattern of how terrified they were and the ongoing effect this has had."
Mechanic Howard was caught after Jessica described his Volvo car to police following the attack in Norwich in May last year.
The student got into her attacker's car when he offered her a lift following a night out.

Norfolk Police/PA Wire

Clue: Police traced Howard's car thanks to a picture taken by one of his victims

Detectives found CCTV footage from earlier that evening showing him circling the city searching for lone women.
Further investigations and DNA evidence revealed he attacked two women in Cambridge on May 5 2013 and two on February 15 last year.
It later emerged that he raped one woman six times in Suffolk, beginning in 1986.
The victim of those offences described how he spoke of attempting to rape a stranger, although police have not been able to prove this claim.
Outlining one of the 2013 attacks, prosecutor William Carter said: "She was grabbed by Clive Howard, he took her to the ground and held her down.
"She struggled as hard as she could but could not get him off her."

Archant

Investigation: Howard admitted the car park rape and a string of other attacks

During the struggle, Howard's DNA was lodged under the victim's fingernail and was eventually used to link him to the Norwich case.
Outside court, Detective Sergeant Chris Burgess described Howard as a "predatory loner" who frequented dating websites and used prostitutes.
He has six children from a marriage but has no contact with them and has lived with his parents since this relationship broke down.
At the time of his arrest, he was in a relationship with an 82-year-old woman.
Det Sgt Burgess said 15 other women have since come forward, saying they may have been attacked by him. At least one of these has been confirmed as a victim.
He added: "There is concern that there are further victims out there and we would encourage anybody who believes they were attacked by him to come forward."