A student who woke up while she was being raped has told how she was forced to relive her harrowing ordeal twice in court.
Robyn Emma, 27, was put in front of a jury and asked about how much she had drunk and why she had given her attacker her phone number.
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Sadly, the line of questioning reflects the growing culture of victim-blaming associated with rape cases.
Robyn, 27, met Dlair Mahmood - who told her he was a 27-year-old widower called Alan - in a nightclub in Nantwich, Cheshire.
She agreed to a nightcap at his house as it was just a few streets away from where her friends were staying.
But the criminology student was so tired that she fell asleep fully clothed on Mahmood's bed and only woke when he began undressing her.
Terrified that her attacker would kill her if she fought back, Robin kept her eyes shut.
"I was scared he would kill me if I stirred," said Robyn, who bravely agreed to waive her right to anonymity to share her story.
"I came round and realised what he was doing but I thought he would panic if I opened my eyes. Therewas a laptop right next to us and I was convinced he'd hit me over the head with it or strangle me."
Mahmood then raped Robyn while she pretended to sleep.
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"There was no kissing, no touching, although he undid my bra, and it hurt. I was crying inside but I forced myself to act as if I was asleep and not react because I thought I'd never see my mum again if I did," said Robyn.
When the student thought the ordeal was over, she acted as though she was waking up.
"I made a noise and he jumped off me, and by the time I slowly woke and eventually opened my eyes he was dressed and sitting down. I was petrified he was going to strangle me so I had to act as if nothing had happened."
Trying to remain calm, Robyn told Mahmood she was tired and would like to go home. Mahmood unlocked the door and said he would drive her home.
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"He had a lock on the door and as soon as he opened it I wanted to bolt out, but I couldn't as he would suspect I knew, so I forced myself to walk slowly," said Robyn.
"He offered me a lift and, even though I said I could walk, he insisted."
Not wanting to Mahmood to know where she was staying, Robyn asked to be dropped off a few houses away. Once safe inside her friend's house, she received a text from Mahmood.
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The chilling message read: "Don't forget you let me do it."
Shell-shocked Robyn immediately told her friends she'd been raped and called the police. She was also examined at a rape suite in Manchester.
"It became real as I spoke to them and I became hysterical," she says, "but they were there within 15 minutes even though it was 4am."
Police asked Robyn her to show them the house where she'd been attacked in Crewe, Cheshire.
Just over a month later, Mahmood - who was really 38 when he attacked Robyn - carried out an attack on a man where he cut his victim 'like a pig' after being confronted about an offensive text.
The wound was deep enough to show muscles and tendons. The victim was so sure he was going to die that he said goodbye to his girlfriend. Luckily, he survived.
Mahmood was eventually sentenced to five years for raping Robyn and 12 years for the stabbing.
But Robyn's ordeal was drawn out. She had to relive her trauma twice in court, as the jury failed to come to a unanimous decision the first time around.
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"I was asked about what I had drunk that night and the fact that I gave him my number," she said.
Robyn cried when she heard the verdict, but was determined to try again and see her attacker convicted.
"Yes I'd been drinking at the club but drinking isn't a crime - rape is," she said.
"I'd told him that nothing was going to happen. I didn't go there for sex, but he just thought he'd help himself. He raped me and it was vital I got justice."
Robyn had to wait a year for the retrial t Liverpool Crown Court. This time, she opted to give her evidence without a screen.
"I wanted people to see me and to hear me," she said. "I was telling the truth and I wanted them to see that I was."
She was on the stand for 90 minutes during the two-day trial and the jury unanimously found Mahmood guilty of rape.
The experience took its toll on Robyn's mental health. She initially hid the rape from her family.
"I'd been drinking and didn't want people to judge me," she said. "I needed to come to terms with it too, but eventually I realised I wasn't being myself and told Mum what had happened."
Robyn became a recluse. "I didn't trust anyone and had severe depression and anxiety," she said.
Mahmood is now on the sex offenders register and has an indefinite restraining order against Robyn. His release date is 2032.
"I was glad I'd gone through a second trial to get the guilty verdict but I think he should have got longer than five years for it," said Robyn. "He destroyed my life to the extent that I couldn't even hug my dad for a year and didn't have any libido."
Since the sentencing, Robyn has built a new life. Now a social prescriber at a GP's surgery, she helps people with their mental health and other issues.
In August, she will marry her fiancée, who she has a daughter with, aged two.
"I wasn't prepared to let Mahmood destroy my future any longer,' she says. 'He'd taken so much away from me but I wasn't going to let him stop me from being happy."
"I am part of a family and getting on with my life. That's why I'm telling my story - I don't want him to win - and I want to show other women you can be strong.
"I fought for justice and even though it took two years I got the right verdict. It's made me stronger and ready to move on from that night and enjoy my life."
Featured Image Credit: Triangle News