Evil father jailed for 20 years for repeatedly raping teenage daughter

Elliott Appleyard, 71, sexually abused daughter Carol Higgins in the 1980s, put an engagement ring on her finger and told her they would 'live happily ever after.'

He raped the vulnerable teenager between 1983 and 1985 and took her to a tattoo parlour to have a rose and his nickname on her shoulder as a 'branded declaration of love,' a court heard.

Today, Appleyard was finally jailed for his crimes which were first reported to police in 1985 and were committed at the West Yorkshire home he shared with his daughter after his wife had left him.

Carol, who has waived her right to anonymity, told Leeds Crown Court in a victim impact statement that: "I will never be able to break free from the chains that you bound me in."

And following sentencing, she urged others "never to give up in the fight for justice" despite it taking 35 years for vile Appleyard to face justice.

Miss Higgins previously told the court her father 'wanted to treat me like a wife' and told her they would 'live together happily ever after'.

He put her engagement ring on his daughter's finger and took photos of her in her underwear simulating sex, and took her to a tattoo parlour in Barnsley, South Yorks.

Miss Higgins first reported the abuse to police in 1985 but was told it would "blacken her name" if she pursued it and would be considered "the biggest slag going".

Miss Higgins, who is now 49 and a mum-of-two, went to police again in 2005, 2012 before a full investigation was finally launched in 2015.

She claims "systematic failures" in her case from 1985 to present day are being probed by police.

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.

He will serve half in custody and half on licence.

In a heartbreaking victim impact statement read out by prosecutor Peter Hampton, Miss Higgins said: "When I was a little innocent girl I loved and trusted you.

”I just wanted you to love me like a normal daughter.

“I hung on your every word because I was your daughter.

"You took my childhood away from me and treated me like a slave.

“For 35 years I have been made to suffer the loss of my father and my family.

"Part of me wishes that someone on the street had raped me instead, because at least then I would have had the love and support of my family.

“The reality of having to take my own dad to court is devastating. I feel I have been let down by my own parents and the establishment.

“It feels like I allowed you to play your filthy game on me. I trusted you as my father and you have betrayed my trust.

“I wanted to reach down inside my stomach and pull out the foulness that you planted inside me.

“I will never be able to break free from the chains that you bound me in.”

She said her dad ‘marked’ her by giving her love bites ‘so lads would think she had a boyfriend and would leave her alone’.

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.

His wife was threatened with a machete for having a "sex dream" and had a shotgun pointed at her head, the jury heard.

Appleyard took her to a tattoo parlour in Barnsley to have a declaration of love inked on her shoulder.

It took 10 treatments which saw acid injected under the skin, and also plastic surgery to remove the tattoo.

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".

Sentencing, Judge Rodney Jameson QC said: "Her mother either did not or could not care for her as she should have done.

"You had had the opportunity to recognise that the feelings for your daughter were wrong and to behave differently.

"You had been confronted by your then wife although you denied it. You did not take that opportunity, instead in December 1983, you raped her for the first time.

"Her mother was unable to care for her properly and Carol feared she would be taken into care or sent to a care home. It's an appalling thought that you seemed to her to be her best option.

"For a 12-month period you treated Carol as your wife, you used her for sex and abused her physically and emotionally as you had done with your wife.

"It is not surprising that she felt then and feels now confusion, embarrassment, shame and even guilt.

“It is clear that the effect of these offences is profound and lifelong."

Appleyard was also made subject to a restraining order which will last indefinitely. He will remain on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

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

As Miss Higgins walked outside the court following sentencing, she shouted: "Justice has been served finally after 35 years."

Holding back tears she added: "I feel like justice has been served and I could not be happier.

"It has taken five attempts for me to keep knocking on that door. Never give up fighting for justice, ever.

"You feel jealous of other people because you don't have that support. It's a lonely place to be because I didn't have anybody to love me the way I wanted to be loved.

"I used to think why me? Why does this have to happen to me? I wish someone on the streets would have raped me so I would have a mum and dad to support me.

"I will always feel sad. The pain will never go away but I've got enough courage to rebuild and heal.

"This is the biggest mountain I've ever had to climb and I feel like I'm at the summit now and have put the flag in.

"Go and speak your truths to the police and make sure your voice is heard.

"I also hope it [her case] makes paedophiles think twice about touching children, knowing they will get 20 years."