It Could Have Been You

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It Could Have Been You is an account of Merlyn Nuttall's fight for survival at the hands of a crazed attacker, high on crack cocaine, and her incredible battle afterwards. Sharon couldn't live in London, she didn't want to bring her children up in London after what had happened to me," Merlyn says. She survived the horrific rape and attempted murder but her fight to recover, and to gain compensation, brought her into surprising areas of resistance - including a refusal by the NHS to pay for plastic surgery to her neck scars. On the way to work one February morning, she was dragged off a busy Brixton street by knife wielding Anthony Ferrira. It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times.

By bidding on, or purchasing this item, you are agreeing to us sharing your name and address details with that 3rd party supplier to allow us to fulfil our contractual obligations to you. It's easy for people to look at me now and say it can't have been that bad," she says, sitting in the south London flat she shares with her boyfriend. The report highlights a catalogue of serious failings in the way victims are treated at every step of the criminal justice system. Nobody could recognise the goodness in that, there was a lot of rivalry and jealousy, mixed with concern. He tried to strangle her with cheese-wire, slashed her neck with a broken bottle, then set the room on fire and locked her in.Here she tells her story with the aim of helping other victims navigate the complex, sometimes indifferent, system as well as to provide vital information for those who care for victims. And before a Crown Prosecution lawyer decides to either drop a case, reduce the charge or advise police to take no action, they should consult with another specialist prosecutor for a second opinion. The majority of pages are undamaged with some creasing or tearing, and pencil underlining of text, but this is minimal. As the young woman, who was brought up in Astley Bridge, walked down a busy main road in Brixton she was grabbed by a man and dragged into a derelict house where she was subjected to an appalling sex attack.

But for those close to her, however, who had seen her horribly disfigured (albeit temporarily) by the attack, and who knew a few of the details, it was difficult to acknowledge "luck". A poor condition book can still make a good reading copy but is generally not collectible unless the item is very scarce. She was thrown into an empty derelict house where Ferrira subjected her to an appalling sex attack, slit her throat, gouged the back of her neck almost to the bone with a shard of glass and stabbed her.Her story needs to be read to understand what actually happened to her on that fateful morning when she stopped to help. In court, she was only a witness, and was not allowed to discuss the case with the prosecuting barrister. year-old Merlyn from Brixton, south London, was chosen from 100 other finalists for her incredible courage in overcoming a horrific rape and her major contribution to Victim Support - the organisation who nominated her for the award. Ferrira was later caught, with help from a Crimewatch appeal, and sentenced to 20 years behind bars. Merlyn, aged 37, who runs a fashion boutique in London, said she suspects her attacker was caught because the case was being treated as attempted murder and she was a businesswoman.

She also found a new friend, one who hadn't known her before the attack, which caused, she says, some resentment among the older friends. I felt I was the least likely to be picked out as a victim, because I did walk confidently, I certainly wasn't small or slight. Merlyn, who married her boyfriend Andrew Bignall last year and lives in London, is optimistic that the report will lead to a change in the way the legal system deals with rape victims. She says: "I was fortunate in that the defence did not question what had happened to me -- they were trying to prove it wasn't their client. Only a small percentage of women report rape to the police, then only a small percentage of cases actually get to trial.The 110-page report, which is the first to look at how rape allegations are dealt with from one end of the criminal justice system to the other, outlines 21 main recommendations which it is hoped will improve the current situation. We also sell a wide range of refurbished Mobile Phones and Tech from major brands like Apple, Samsung, Sony, Microsoft and much more. She survived the horrific rape and attempted murder but her fight for recovery and to gain compensation brought her against some surprising areas of resistance?