A brave mother has spoken out about being raped and dismissed by those she ran to for help, after her attacker was jailed for 10 years.

Clara Hamlin, 33, was raped in a flower hut near Southfields station while others held her down as she made her way home in June 2014.

But when she ran out to beg others for help she was dismissed by morning workers, with one telling her to “f*** off and cry in the street”.

However, thanks to work by the Sapphire command, the Metropolitan Police’s rape unit, her attacker Mustafa Anacha, 40, of Augusta Road, Wimbledon, was jailed for 10 years following a trial at Kingston Crown Court earlier this year.

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Scene: Miss Hamlin was attacked in the early hours of June 14 last year

Now Miss Hamlin has waived her right to anonymity to not only thank the police for how they helped her, but to encourage other women to feel confident reporting sexual abuse.

Miss Hamlin had been at a gig with family members and went to a 24-hour shop in Replingham Road when she bumped into a group of men.

She noticed her phone was missing and one of the men said the other had taken it as a prank and he would help her get it back.

It was pouring with rain and they took shelter in the nearby flower stall. He then asked her to come back to his home, but she said no.

She said: “From then it isn’t clear entirely how events spiralled out of control, but I remember being face down over the steps with the edges of the steps painfully digging into my ribs and shins, these injuries were documented by police.

“I asked them – three men were behind me at this point – to stop and they laughed and told me I was pretty when I was crying. I asked them to at least let me move so it didn’t hurt and there was more laughter.

“By the time they had stopped, many of the local newsagents were out doing their newspapers, the taxi office was open and I approached every person I saw for help, they all refused.”

She approached a man who worked nearby and asked him to call the police, she said: “He refused, with the words ‘f*** off and cry in the street’, which is exactly what I did.

"The next memory is a stranger holding my hand and telling me to breathe and not to worry about crying because an ambulance is on the way.

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Rapist: Anacha was found guilty by a unanimous jury of rape and assault

“The paramedics were accompanied by two male officers who very sensitively and compassionately asked if the assault had been of a sexual nature and as I was already aware of the early evidence procedure I agreed to be taken to St George’s Hospital for the initial forensics. The worst part was having my nails cut by the poor officer who hadn’t cut someone else’s nails before.”

An early evidence kit collects samples at the earliest opportunity to capture vital evidence, and by going directly to police and requesting one they were able to secure the prosecution.

Miss Hamlin added: “The officers who initially responded were absolutely fantastic, totally contrary to the hearsay about how victims are treated as suspects. Perhaps some victims don’t understand why the police have to ask certain questions, but I fully appreciate their need for as much information as possible.”

She said police kept her well informed at every stage of the prosecution and she could not fault the level of care provided by Sapphire.

Miss Hamlin hopes that by speaking out she will encourage others to do so and even prevent future sexual assaults adding: “If someone else had spoken out, this could not have happened to me. Sexual predators don’t start with gang rape.

“They progress from little gropes on the Tube or in a pub to pressuring dates into sex and the more they get away with it the bolder they become.

“I feel a strong responsibility to report this sort of crime because although I am pretty hardcore and can overcome all sorts of trauma given a little time and support, perhaps the next victim would not be like me and we so often hear of suicides after sexual assaults.

“I could not bear to have that man cause a woman to end her life because I failed to stop him.”

The jury unanimously found Anacha guilty of rape and assault. The Algerian national, who has lived in the UK for 12 years working in a fish and chip shop and different cafes, was one of four men involved.

Police are still trying to trace three other men from the attack which took place between 4am and 5am on June 14.

For advice and support on sexual violence visit rapecrisis.org.uk.