Sudbury rape victim bravely speaks out on the incident

The 18-year-old was walking back from a nightclub in Sudbury and was just one turn away from reaching her front door.

Before she knew it, she was on the ground and being dragged through the grass.

“I heard these really heavy footsteps and then I was pushed to the floor,” said Victoria, who is known as Tora to her friends.

“He was so strong, he pinned me down and I couldn’t move. I was struggling to breathe as he had his hands over my mouth and throat.

Brave - Victoria Auld has shared her story with the Gazette (Image: Victoria Auld)

“I was screaming as much as I could and I kept asking if he was going to kill me and he was saying ‘yes’.

“I was thinking ‘this is how I’m going to die. My mum is going to find my body here’.”

Just an hour-and-a-half prior, Tora, who is now 22 and lives in Clacton, had finished work for the night at the Weavers Tap pub at 2am.

She then decided to join her friends on a night out to celebrate the Bank Holiday weekend in the early hours of May 28, 2018.

Unbeknown to her at the time, Marian Pavel, then 28, of Cavendish Way, Sudbury, was also out that night.

He too had been making his way home but when his friends went into a house in Cavendish Way, Pavel remained outside by himself.

As Tora was walking between First Avenue and Second Avenue, Pavel pushed her to the ground and raped her.

Rapist - Marian Pavel was jailed for 12 years for raping Tora (Image: Suffolk Police)

“I don’t know if I was being watched for days or if he just followed me that night,” continued Tora.

“Maybe he thought because of the dress I was wearing that I would be ‘easy’.

“It was so brutal because I didn’t know him. I was just two minutes from my house. All I had to do was walk around the corner and I was home.”

Tora explained she begged Pavel not to kill her as she screamed for help.

It was to come, as two girls who had heard her cries for help arrived, causing Pavel to flee.

The days that followed were something of a nightmare, she explained : “I kept telling myself it was just a really bad dream, that stuff like this doesn’t happen and I’ll snap out of it at some point.

Crime scene - The area between First and Second Avenue in Sudbury (Image: Sarah Lucy Brown)

“It is such a shame because I enjoyed life so much. He took all of that away from me, I was happy, I was smiling.”

Thanks to Tora’s bravery in coming forward, Pavel was caught by detectives just days later and eventually put behind bars for 12 years after admitting the offence.

She said it was a “massive relief” and feels if she didn’t scream as loud as she did, she would not have survived.

Tora is now hoping to use her own experience to help other victims of sexual offences and give them the support they need.

The 22-year-old said she eventually left the waiting list for therapy after waiting so long and she doesn’t want this to happen to others.

Jailed - Pavel was locked up after being sentenced at Ipswich Crown Court

“I used to read about stories like mine and think those people had serious bad luck, but then it happened to me,” said Tora.

“I didn’t get the help I deserved, I didn’t have anyone professional who I could talk to.

“With the platform I am creating, I’m here for someone to talk to if they want someone who has been where they are.”

She added: “I did this, I am the reason my attacker was caught.

“To anyone struggling, believe in yourself and be strong enough to come forward.”

To speak with Tora, visit @SurvivingSexualAssaults on Instagram.