Woman raped by dad receives apology from West Yorkshire Police

Carol Higgins, 55, was sexually abused by her father, Elliot Appleyard, now 76, when she was 13 years old.

He took her to a tattoo parlour to get his nickname tattooed on her shoulder - and put an engagement ring on her finger, telling her they'd "live happily ever after".

The mum-of-two first reported Appleyard to the police in 1985 - and four more separate occasions stretching from 1984 to 2015.

But it wasn't until 2019 he was jailed for 20 years for his crimes.

Carol Higgins has spoken out about her ordeal (Image: SWNS)

Now, West Yorkshire Police has now finally apologised for taking "too long" to bring Appleyard to justice - and paid her £15,000 in compensation.

Ms Higgins says in 1985 she was told by police it would "blacken her name" if she pursued it and would be considered "the biggest slag going".

The mother of two has been in a four-year civil court battle with the police, she said.

They finally apologised for "taking too long" to bring Carol's "extremely serious and truthful allegations" in December 2023.

Carol, an author from Penistone, South Yorkshire, said: "The apology felt like a big relief, and a weight off my shoulders - after battling police for all this time.

"I'm glad they're making themselves accountable for how they treated me.

"It was a big thing, to have validation.

"Living without that validation created a lot of negative energy inside me.

"Hopefully, now, I can let go of some of that anger."

Carol Higgins has received an apology (Image: SWNS)

Appleyard raped the vulnerable teenager between 1983 and 1985, Leeds Crown Court heard in 2019.

A jury of seven women and four men took less than two hours to unanimously find Appleyard guilty of 15 charges following a seven-day trial.

The father-of-three was convicted of five counts of rape and 10 counts of indecent assault.

During the trial, Mr Hampton, prosecuting, said the abuse had 'destroyed all of her adult life' and she had received counselling for many years.

He said Appleyard, of Denby Dale, near Huddersfield, ruled the household through violence and threats of beatings.

Jurors were shown a recorded police interview with Miss Higgins where she told officers her father "wanted to treat me like a wife" and would "live together happily ever after".

Ms Higgins said she was made to wear her father’s wife’s engagement ring.

Ms Higgins, who now lives in Ackworth, wrote an autobiography titled 'Conquering the Impossible: Making the Dream Come True' which was published in 2015.

Ms Higgins opened a civil court case - due to the way her case was handled between 2005 and 2019.

She went to the police twice, in 2005 and 2012 - before her case was finally investigated in 2015, and brought to trial in 2019.

As part of the settlement agreement, which included the written apology, Carol has been paid £15k by West Yorkshire Police.

The letter from John Robins, Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police, says: "I write as Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police to offer my sincere apology for the way in which you have been treated over the last 39 years.

"It is accepted that your extremely serious and truthful allegations took too long to come to justice, resulting in the delay of the prosecution of your abuser and this was not your fault.

"It is a matter of profound regret that it took so long for your abuser to be convicted."

But Carol says no amount will ever be enough to make up for the last 39 years.

"The apology is welcome," she added.

"But I think the £15,000 is a bit of a p**stake for all that time, energy and all those years.

"I'm still feeling the effects of that child abuse, now.

"I'm feeling the pain of not having a father - all that grief and loss.

"What price do you put on it, really?

"I fought them and won - that's how I stood up to them."

West Yorkshire Police said: "The Chief Constable has apologised directly to the complainant on behalf of West Yorkshire Police and given his personal reassurance that the Force has learned from the mistakes made in her case."