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This Morning: Brave teen reveals she filmed her sex assault – resulting in attacker being jailed

Viewers were in awe of Lillian Constantine's courage

Brave Lillian Constantine appeared on This Morning today alongside her mum to talk about the moment she was able to get her attacker caught and arrested for sexual assault after she filmed the horrific attack on her mobile phone.

Lillian was sexually assaulted on her way home along a seafront road after she was pounced on by Ashraf Miah, 34.

The youngster explained that she filmed the entire attack because she was able to hit “record” as she was using her phone to light the way home.

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Speaking to hosts Holly and Phil, Lillian explained the man approached her around 2am on that night. She said: “He asked me where I was going first of all.

“I thought this was just another drunk, friendly guy having a conversation. But when he touched me I thought there’s something wrong here.

“Then I said ‘I’m going home’ and he touched me and I flipped record on my phone because I thought he was going to mug me.”

She continued: “He started tackling me to the ground. By that point I was in such a state of shock I forgot I was recording but luckily managed to get a glimpse of his face.”

Phil, 55, then explained to viewers that they wouldn’t go into the details but said Lillian was “severely sexually assaulted.”

The presenter then revealed that after the noise woke residents and a door slammed, Mia was scared off leaving Lillian to run home.

Lillian said: “I was about 60 seconds away from home and I was running and limping trying to hold myself together and I was hysterically crying. I put the key through the door and started screaming to my parents.”

Mum Karen then started to talk about the moment she heard her daughter running through the door.

She said: “It was instantly obvious to me what had happened. Her distress was beyond anything I had ever seen.”

She then revealed that after waiting for officers to arrive at their home she watched the harrowing footage Lillian caught on her phone.

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“My husband and I both found it very distressing, it was just awful.

“But you have to disassociate. We had a job to do, and we had to protect our daughter.”

Lillian had to bag up her clothes and wasn’t allowed to wash for a day as she waited for an appointment at the sexual assault referral centre at Maidstone Hospital, almost 50 miles away.

And now with the evidence found and the two-minute grainy video Mia was caught and jailed for 13 and a half years.

This is the first time in British legal history that a victim’s footage of an entire attack has been used in court.

The courageous girl went on to tell other victims to not let their attack define them.

She said: “Don’t put limitations on yourself because it’s happened. It may be draining. It may linger, but it won’t define you.

“I don’t need to feel ashamed and neither should anyone else.”

Viewers were left stunned at Lillian’s story and expressed their admiration for the young girl.

One wrote on Twitter: “Lillian, amazing, brave girl! She should be so proud of herself! #ThisMorning.”

“What an incredibly smart woman. Lillian is such an asset to women around the world. Her mum has so much to be proud of #ThisMorning,” another said.

https://twitter.com/Holsx/status/884713171310841856

A third tweeted: “What an amazing young girl. So brave #thismorning.”


Rebecca Carter
Associate Editor (News)