Facebook helps rape victim get justice after police tell her: ‘There’s not enough evidence’

Melinda Thomas was raped when she was 13 and, although she reported it eventually, was told there was not enough evidence to prosecute.

So Melinda, now 42, from Swindon, decided to use Facebook to her advantage.

In November 1984 Melinda was going to meet her boyfriend. On the way she was stopped by Orville Vaughan, then mid-20s.

He was known and feared by local children for his ‘menacing presence’. Orville took Melinda into a stairwell and raped her.

“I tried to scream,” she said. “But no sound came out.

“I tried to push him away but he was over 6ft. When I found my voice and shouted, he punched my face.”

When the attack was over and she made her way to Simon, he comforted her and tried to convince Melinda to tell her parents. However, she was too scared that they wouldn’t believe her.

Melinda grew withdrawn and started to skip school and two months after the rape, she started sleeping with Simon. Up until then the furthest they’d gone was holding hands. She hoped that this would help her get over her attack.

“I didn’t want to associate the rape with sex and hoped this would help me move on. Simon was gentle and I loved him so much I wanted to feel I belonged to him.”

And when she fell pregnant, Melinda hoped a baby would rid her of the trauma of rape although she was just 15.

“I thought having someone to care for would help me.”

Although disappointed, Melinda’s parents supported her decision to have the baby, as did Simon.

But, despite being supportive of the baby, Simon told Melinda if she didn’t tell her parents of the attack he would leave her. The burden of being the only one who knew was finally becoming too much.

Melinda did tell her parents in December 1986. They wanted her to go to the police but accepted her decision not to. She didn’t want everything dragged up again.

Melinda and Simon’s son Paul was born in August 1887. They stayed together and she had their second child Luke in 1989.

Her attack was still putting pressure on their relationship and, when Luke was 4-months-old, he left them.

She started to have panic attacks and flashbacks of the attack.

In 1995, Melinda met Greg, 50, and they had two daughters, Claire, in 1996, and Marie, in 2006.

And then, when Melinda was working in a supermarket, she was confronted with Orville Vaughan again. He walked in while she was working, bringing all memories of the attack flooding back,

It was this encounter which made Melinda determined not to stay silent anymore.

“I knew I had to deal with what happened or I could never move on.’

But when she did pluck up the courage to call Swindon Police station she was remarkably put on hold for 10 minutes. She hung up.

Her son persuaded her to try again and this time she was interviewed.

“Reliving the ordeal was horrific”, she says. And, even worse, she was told there wasn’t enough evidence to take things any further.

So Melinda took matters into her own hands.

She posted a message on Facebook, saying: ‘Calling on all women from the eighties and up to this day who may have been raped by a black male in the Swindon area… I am trying to get help for a rape that happened.’

Two days later she was contacted by a woman who confirmed she was also one of Orville’s victims.

And, after receiving a message form another woman who said the same man also raped her, both of the women gave evidence.

Their evidence backed Melinda’s and Orville was arrested and charged.

Melinda gave evidence behind a screen and Swindon Crown Court in June 2012.

“The enormity of what was happening hit me”, she says.

And, when Orville was convicted and sentenced to 13 years, Melinda says “The relief was overwhelming.”

This made others come forward and in June Orville pleaded guilty to two more counts of rape and had another four years added to his sentence.

Melinda will continue to campaign for justice, adding:

“I’m sure there are countless other women who suffered the same terrible thing and I wanted them to come forward.”