Woman raped by dad ‘cries tears of relief’ as early release for sex offenders scrapped

Carol Higgins managed to secure a conviction against her abuser, Elliot Appleyard in 2019, after fighting with the police and courts for justice (Picture: Andrew McCaren for Metro) A woman who was raped by her own dad throughout her childhood has spoken of her relief as the early release of sexual offenders has been scrapped by Andy Burnham. Carol Higgins spent 35 years trying to secure a conviction against her dad Elliott Appleyard after he raped her repeatedly from the ages of 13 to 16 inside their home in Wakefield in the 1980s. Metro revealed last month Carol, now a mum-of-two, had been told her abuser was being considered for early release after just serving a quarter of his 20-year sentence. She told Metro: ‘Reading that letter just overwhelmed me, I couldn’t stop shaking. It has mad