British rape victim feels safe ‘after two years’ as her Portuguese attacker is imprisoned

British rape victim, 24, finally feels safe ‘after nearly two years of fear’ as court rules her Portuguese attacker must stay behind bars

  • Tiago Curado de Sousa, 34, was spared jail despite raping Kate Juby in April 2017
  • Ms Juby, 24, from Suffolk watched in horror as he walked out Portuguese court
  • The student launched an appeal through a lawyer to make sure he served time
  • Today it emerged she won her court fight and her attacker would be imprisoned
  • She told a TV station: ‘It feels I finally feel safe after two years of living in fear’

A British rape victim has said she finally feels ‘safe after nearly two years of fear’ after a Portuguese court revoked an earlier decision to suspend her attacker’s four-and-a-half year prison sentence.

Sex beast Tiago Curado de Sousa, 34, was spared jail despite confessing at an Algarve court last October to the horrific April 2017 rape of university student Kate Juby.

The 24-year-old from Hadleigh, Suffolk, bravely waived her right to anonymity in February to tell a UK Sunday newspaper how she watched in horror as her attacker walked free from court, and confirmed she had launched an appeal through a lawyer to make sure he served time.

Sex beast Tiago Curado de Sousa, 34, was spared jail despite confessing at an Algarve court last October to the horrific April 2017 rape of university student Kate Juby (pictured)

The 24-year-old (pictured) from Hadleigh, Suffolk, bravely waived her right to anonymity in February to tell a UK Sunday newspaper how she watched in horror as her attacker walked free from court

The 24-year-old (pictured) from Hadleigh, Suffolk, bravely waived her right to anonymity in February to tell a UK Sunday newspaper how she watched in horror as her attacker walked free from court

Ms Juby confirmed she had launched an appeal through a lawyer to make sure Curado de Sousa served time

Ms Juby confirmed she had launched an appeal through a lawyer to make sure Curado de Sousa served time

Today, as it emerged she had won her court fight and her attacker would be forced to serve his full prison sentence, she told Portuguese TV station SIC in a Skype interview (pictured): 'It means everything to me'

Today, as it emerged she had won her court fight and her attacker would be forced to serve his full prison sentence, she told Portuguese TV station SIC in a Skype interview (pictured): ‘It means everything to me’

Today, as it emerged she had won her court fight and her attacker would be forced to serve his full prison sentence, she told Portuguese TV station SIC in a Skype interview: ‘It means everything to me.

‘It feels I finally feel safe after two years of living in fear and living without justice and fearing the suffering was never going to end.

‘It finally feels like I can begin to be myself again and start to repair my life.’

Mechanic Curado de Sousa struck after picking up Ms Juby as she hitchhiked to Faro Airport after attending a festival near Aljezur.

Kate's injuries three days after the attack when she returned to the UK

Mechanic Curado de Sousa struck after picking up Ms Juby as she hitchhiked to Faro Airport after attending a festival near Aljezur

Mechanic Curado de Sousa struck after picking up Ms Juby as she hitchhiked to Faro Airport after attending a festival near Aljezur. Pictured: Ms Juby’s injuries three days after the attack when she returned to the UK

Instead of helping her as promised, he pulled over 10 miles down the road on the pretext he had to collect a broken-down vehicle

Instead of helping her as promised, he pulled over 10 miles down the road on the pretext he had to collect a broken-down vehicle

Scrambling desperately through rough grassland, Ms Juby eventually made it back to the main road where she flagged down a pair of passing German tourists covered her in a blanket

Scrambling desperately through rough grassland, Ms Juby eventually made it back to the main road where she flagged down a pair of passing German tourists covered her in a blanket

Instead of helping her as promised, he pulled over 10 miles down the road on the pretext he had to collect a broken-down vehicle.

He walked round to the passenger side and exposed himself while saying ‘come on baby’ in English.

He then pulled her out of the vehicle, forced her to the back of the tow truck and raped her twice without any protection as she begged him not to kill her.

An appeal court in the city of Evora revoked the decision by a lower court in the Algarve holiday resort of Lagos to suspend Curado de Sousa’s prison sentence, meaning he will now have to serve the full jail term he was given. 

Remembering the most difficult phone call of her life, Ms Juby said of her mother's reaction: 'I could hear her heart breaking on the other side of the phone'

 Remembering the most difficult phone call of her life, Ms Juby said of her mother’s reaction: ‘I could hear her heart breaking on the other side of the phone’

An appeal court in the city of Evora revoked the decision by a lower court in the Algarve holiday resort of Lagos to suspend Curado de Sousa's prison sentence, meaning he will now have to serve the full jail term he was given. Pictured: Ms Juby

An appeal court in the city of Evora revoked the decision by a lower court in the Algarve holiday resort of Lagos to suspend Curado de Sousa’s prison sentence, meaning he will now have to serve the full jail term he was given. Pictured: Ms Juby

Ms Juby, who was in the first year of a food development degree at Liverpool John Moores University at the time of the rape, told SIC: ‘My dad and my mum are so happy it’s over for me.

‘We just hope this is a good message for other women that you can actually get justice if you keep fighting for it.’

It was not immediately clear today if Curado de Sousa is already behind bars.

The original court hearing took place behind closed doors, as is customary in Portugal in cases involving alleged sex crimes.

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