‘I just wanted peace’: my 35-year fight to bring my abusive father to justice

Carol Higgins was 15 when she first reported her father’s abuse to the police. They told her he wouldn’t be charged. But she refused to let it rest until he finally stood trial

Higgins gave a 17-page statement, signed it and was given a painful internal examination. At the end of it, she was informed that Appleyard would not be charged. Apparently, the case wasn’t strong enough. There was no forensic evidence. The police told her that because her brother, who was 14, was a minor, his account was inadmissible. They said that, should the case reach court, her name and sexual history would be dragged through the mud. Could she handle it? Higgins said she couldn’t.

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In January 2019, after more pushing by Higgins, who refused to let it rest, Appleyard finally stood trial. It took the jury less than two hours of deliberation to find him guilty of 15 sexual offences against her, including rape and sexual assault. He was sentenced to 20 years. Earlier this year, Higgins also received £15,000 compensation and a public apology from West Yorkshire police, acknowledging that her “extremely serious and truthful allegations took too long to come to justice”.