A RAPE victim urged other women to fight for justice after her attacker was jailed for ten years.

Steven Norris, of Heygate Avenue, Southend, was found guilty by a jury at Basildon Crown Court of four counts of rape and two counts of actual bodily harm.

He appeared at Southend Crown Court last week and was sentenced to 10 years in prison for each count of rape, two-and-a-half years for one count of actual bodily harm and one year for the other, all to run concurrently.

Norris, 40, was also handed a restraining order and placed on the sex offenders register for life.

The woman he attacked said she finally feels “free” after he was convicted.

The 35-year-old, who broke her feet when Norris pushed her off a six-foot fence and suffered horrific injuries including bites on her body, said: “I am very chuffed he has been convicted.

“He would tell me he dreamt of ways of torturing my family.

“Now I know he has been locked up, I knowhe can’t hurt me or my family.

“It’s a real weight lifted off my shoulders.

“I feel a lot safer now and I feel a lot more myself because I have come back to my family and I am seeing my kids again.

“He might have hurt me physically and mentally, but I am the one who won in the end.”

The mum-of-four said she struggled to relive her experiences during the trial.

She said: “It has been really tough, especially for someone like me who has never been in trouble or inside a court room, it was quite nerve-wracking.

“I had to relive my experiences over and over again.

“Now I know he has been locked up, it was totally worth it.”

She urged other women to seek help.

She said: “I would say just speak to someone. I spoke to people at work – there is help out there.

“Now I have completely moved on. Life is looking good.”

Norris was also ordered to pay a victim's surcharge of £120.