THE survivor of a violent rape has thanked specialist police officers after her attacker was jailed for 15 years.

Drug dealer Steven Anderson, 34, of no fixed address, imprisoned the woman at an address in Jaywick on December 13, 2019, smashing a TV, threatening her with a meat cleaver, and holding her hostage.

Chelmsford Crown Court heard the woman, who is aged in her 50s, was too scared to seek help and on January 2 last year, Anderson attacked her with a hammer and beat her before raping her at knifepoint.

The woman was able to get to the safety of her family the following day and the police were called..

Anderson then went on the run, fleeing the county before being arrested in Homerton three weeks later.

On Tuesday, he was jailed for 15 years for rape, four years for causing grievous bodily harm with intent, four years for making threats to kill, four years for false imprisonment, five months for assault by beating, and three months for criminal damage – to serve concurrently – and to serve a further six years on licence.

Following the sentencing, the victim encouraged other victims to come forward.

She said: “I’m so grateful to Essex Police for their commitment to making sure I got justice, and that I remained safe at all times.

“I urge anyone suffering from abuse – whether it be physical, emotional, or sexual – to come forward and report these crimes.

“The support I received, particularly from Det Con Liv Howells and Meg, from the Centre for Action on Rape and Abuse team, was invaluable.

“Even though it seems scary at the time, please, please report these crimes and get the justice you deserve.”

Det Con Liv Howells, from the North Adult Sexual Abuse Investigation Team, said: “Steven Anderson put his victim through an unimaginable ordeal on two separate occasions.

“I want to praise the victim who has shown incredible bravery by coming forward and telling us what happened.

“She gave us in-depth accounts and I cannot thank her enough for her courage and co-operation throughout our investigation.

"It must have been incredibly difficult to recount what had happened to her."