A WOMAN who was repeatedly abused by her partner over the course of a number of years has waived her right to anonymity to come forward in the hope of helping others living in similar situations - after her bravery to speak out saw her abuser sentenced to more than a decade behind bars.

Trevor Lockwood was found guilty of four counts of rape following a trial at Sheffield Crown Court in October and on Monday was sentenced at the same court to 13 years in prison.

Between 2003 and 2014, the 44-year-old, of Ballfield Lane, Kexbrough, was in a relationship with Kimberley Dyson, who he assaulted while she slept.

Kimberley would wake up in the middle of the night to find Lockwood forcing himself upon her and engaging in sexual activity she had not consented to.

She would tell Lockwood to stop what he was doing, but he would ignore her pleas and forcibly continue.

Lockwood blamed his abhorrent behaviour on his drug use and often claimed he did not know why he did what he did.

In 2022, Kimberley reported the situation to the police.

Like all victims of sexual assault, she was granted automatic and lifelong anonymity, however has chosen to waive this right in hopes of helping other women in abusive situations come forward to the police.

After her abuser’s sentencing, 41-year-old Kimberley said: “The sentencing hearing has been a long time coming.

“I feel very passionate about my decision to waive my anonymity - despite years of feeling deep shame around the abuse I experienced, I am finally learning to accept that none of this was my fault.

“I want other victims of sexual abuse to see that experiences of sexual harm and abuse are nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about.

“The abuse I endured for over a decade at the hands of Trevor Lockwood has impacted almost every area of my life and although no sentence will be enough for the trauma I am left with, I am glad that this case is finally over and that I am able to start my process of healing.

“I want to take this opportunity to commend the hard work of Detective Sergeant Laura Clarke of South Yorkshire Police who has worked tirelessly on the investigation to secure this conviction and finally bring Trevor to justice.

“I also want to acknowledge the support I have received from my independent sexual violence advisor, Jess, at Barnsley Sexual Abuse and Rape Crisis Services, from the moment I reported and throughout the process.

“The support this service provides is vital for victims during the criminal justice process and without the support and encouragement I received from Jess to keep fighting, I am not sure how, or if, I could have got this far.

“Trevor took so many years of my life but today I close the chapter on this ordeal and start to live my life as it always should have been.”

In addition to his sentence, Lockwood will now be on the sex offenders’ register for life.

Detective Sergeant Laura Clarke, the officer in charge of this case, said: “By law, Kimberley Dyson would have been entitled to life-long anonymity as all victims of sexual offences are.

“She has bravely waived this right to speak up against her abuser and encourage more victims to come forward and report to us.

“I cannot commend Kimberley’s bravery highly enough, and I want to directly thank her for her courage throughout our investigation and the subsequent trial, which came about due to Lockwood’s refusal to admit his abhorrent offence.

“We are 100 per cent committed to tackling all forms of sexual abuse in South Yorkshire, including non-recent offences, and I want to make it clear that we fully investigate every single report made to us.

“If you have been raped, sexually assaulted, or sexually harassed, you can report to us in confidence online or by calling 101.

“If you don’t feel able to report to the police in one of these ways, try and talk to someone you trust.

“You can also seek specialist and confidential support via the 24/7 rape and sexual abuse support line.”