THE VICTIM who suffered at the hands of a trio of paedophiles has urged other survivors of abuse to be courageous and speak out to bring perpetrators to justice.

Rapists Assad Hussain and brothers Anjum and Akhtar Dogar were brought to justice at Oxford Crown Court for carrying out harrowing abuse against their victim over eight years.

In a statement released today, the woman, now in her 30s, revealed it was "challenging" and "painful" for her to relive the years of suffering.

But she said she now felt "relieved" after finding the strength to speak out as the men who abused her were jailed for a total of 32 years.

She said: "It was easier to make myself heard than it was to hold it all inside. This process has in a way been therapeutic for me, as I now feel stronger and I am no longer consumed by my past.

"I would urge any person who is struggling or feeling trapped by any form of abuse to come forward, there are many agencies out there that will be able to help you move and put the suffering behind you.

"I am hoping that with some therapy I will be able to continue rebuilding myself and will in time regain family relationships that were broken due to my past.

"I am growing in confidence each day that passes. My future now holds hope, which is something that I was unable to see before speaking out about my past.

"In coming forward I have regained control of my life. Due to this I have no regrets."

During the trial, jurors heard how the "happy bubbly" girl became "frightened" after the men began sexually exploiting her as a teenager.

She bravely took the stand to relive her years of abuse, telling the court she led a "chaotic" life and was often "inebriated" when the men abused her in East Oxford and Blackbird Leys.

Oxford Crown Court was told the girl, who met the men aged 15 in a park in Manzil Way, off Cowley Road, would perform sex acts on the men in exchange for alcohol and drugs.

During cross-examination, she courageously defied defence barristers who claimed she was lying about the grooming and branded her evidence as "fabricated".

Sitting behind screens, the girl told the court she had not wanted to support legal proceedings but later found the courage to share her ordeal in court because it was the “right” thing to do.

She said: "This is what's right - it's not what I want. I am no longer a child, I am grown up, an adult, and I would not have come and done this [give evidence] if I wasn't telling the truth."

The girl told jurors she was left feeling "embarrassed" after being abused by the men and admitted she had tried to "block out" the trauma from her memory.

She said she felt "ashamed" that she had a "crush" on Assad Hussain, adding: "When I was younger I thought I was a friend to Assad. I don't see it like that now, I know he didn't see it like that.

"I felt I was not able to fight this man off. He had a position of power over me mentally. He was a man, he was surrounded by his friends and I was a young girl who wasn't."

A school friend also told the court the girl "loved living life" before the gang "scared" her.

The witness said the pair became "like sisters" and spent a lot of time at her flat in Thomas Mews, Rectory Road, where the men would often gather when she was an adult.

Jurors also heard how the girl's son had been taken into care, with her friend telling the court that the baby was neglected because the men were always in her house.