A WOMAN repeatedly raped by her paedophile father has tearfully spoken out after learning he could be released early - despite serving less than a third of his sentence.

Elliott Appleyard was found guilty of raping and sexually assaulting Carol Higgins, from Penistone, following a two-week trial at Leeds Crown Court in January 2019 at the age of 71.

He had denied five counts of rape and ten counts of indecent assault which happened between April 1982 and April 1985 when Carol was aged between 12 and 15 but was found guilty by a jury and jailed for 20 years.

She escaped her father’s clutches aged 15 but West Yorkshire Police did not press charges against Appleyard, formerly of Gilthwaites Crescent, Denby Dale, when she first complained about her abuse in 1984.

Carol went back to the police again in 2005, 2012 and 2014 and, when she returned in 2015, officers decided to investigate when she wrote to Dee Collins who was then the Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police urging her to reopen the case following decades of mental struggles as a result of the abuse she endured.

The mother-of-two has since been in a civil court battle with the police having accused them of infringing her human rights, culminating in the police apologising for the ‘trauma’ they caused and paying compensation of £15,000, as well as the £90,000 which was accrued in years-long court costs.

Carol, who waived her right to anonymity afforded to all victims of sexual abuse upon Appleyard’s conviction, told the Chronicle this week that she was disgusted with a letter she received from the Probation Service in relation to changes to the Sentencing Act.

The letter, sent by victim liaison officer Ruth Kerry, said: “As you may have seen reported in the news, the Sentencing Act will change how some prison sentences for adults are managed.

“These changes have been introduced following an independent review, with the aim of improving the effectiveness of sentencing and better managing offenders in the community.

“I understand that receiving this information may be difficult and we recognise the lasting impact the offence may have had on you.

“You will receive a further letter about this by the end of August which will confirm if changes will or will not be made to the release date for an offender in your case.”

A petition against the plan has been formed this week, with more than 5,000 signatures being gained in a matter of days.

Carol’s urged people to continue signing it in a bid to force a debate and a potential U-turn.

She added: “The terrifying abuse I suffered means I hide behind the mask I wear on a daily basis.

“This early release scheme should not be happening.

“It’s like living in a nightmare daily and belittles the seriousness of the crimes my father committed against me.

“It’s a sheer and utter insult to me.

“The man who spoke on television on behalf of the Probation Service, basically telling us victims to suck it up, should be put through the violent rape trials which we have had to endure and see if he would be saying the same.

“I am fuming, absolutely livid about the changes.

“I’ve been terrorised all my childhood by this man and he’s going to be back out in society?

“I was once told that paternal rape is like putting a nuclear bomb under the family and picking up the pieces is impossible.

“I didn’t just lose my dad, I lost my whole family, along with my childhood, innocence and sense of self-worth.

“I was left with no choice but to live alone at 16 years old in a cold, rented house feeling frightened with no-one to turn to.

“My message to people is this: please sign and share the petition to end the government’s early release plan for prisoners who rape and abuse children.”

Sentencing Minister Jake Richards said changes had to be made to the system as the government inherited ‘bursting-at-the-seams prisons.

“Urgent, bold action was needed to keep the public safe these reforms will make sure prisons never run out of space again and dangerous offenders are kept off our streets, while putting victims first with much tougher punishments for offenders outside jail.

“The reality is we cannot just build our way out of the chaos it must go hand-in-hand with radical reform to avoid another ticking timebomb.”