The victim of an attempted rape in Stanmore has spoken to the Observer about her nightmare ordeal this week - days after her attacker was sent to jail.
Last year, she fell asleep on a night bus and was carried off by brute Duwayne McCallum, who took the sleeping 31-year-old back to his flat in William Drive.
Speaking about the fateful day on October 19, when she got on the wrong night bus following a few drinks with colleagues, she told the Observer: "When I woke up there was just complete confusion. I didn't know where I was and to be honest I thought I must have been dreaming.
"These thoughts, however, soon changed to complete terror. I didn't know whether I was going to get out alive."
Having woken up confused and dazed in McCallum's living room, she saw the 38-year-old stripped down to his boxer shorts, watching pornography.
But when he tried to kiss her she bit him before trying to flee. She added: "It was just a flight or fight kind of instinct. I just remember running as fast as I could but not knowing where to run. I kept thinking: 'Is he coming after me? Is he right behind me?', but I didn't want to turn around because I was so scared it would slow me down.
"I remember him pushing me to the ground and kicking me in the throat and I was just screaming as loud as I could."
Although terrified, she managed to get away from him again, but McCallum had taken her phone so she could not call the police.
"Getting out is a bit of a blur but I had no idea where I was and I remember hiding behind a car because I didn't know what else to do. I'm so grateful to the police who looked after me that morning and to those who helped me through the whole ordeal."
But the ordeal was not over.
In September, this year, she had to relive the chilling events as she gave evidence against the evil sex beast.
She added: "Of course I just wanted it to be all over and going to court and talking about it all in front of a room of strangers was horrendous. I was having to speak in front of people I didn't know, about things I had difficulty in telling the people closest to me. Listening to my own screams in calls I had made to the police was particularly harrowing - but I just did what I thought was right.
"People shouldn't be able to get away with things like that and I wanted to help make sure no one else had to go through something similar. I haven't gained anything from the whole thing but the one thing I have taken some comfort in is that honesty is the best policy. It proved to me that if you tell the truth and you are honest then people will see that - the right thing does come out in the end.
"For a long time after the attack I was scared to go out and even now I consider how I am getting home because this real-ly can happen to absolutely anyone.
"But this year has been horrendous for me and I just want to put it all behind me. I just want to get on with my life."
McCallum was found guilty of attempted rape, ABH and robbery and sentenced to a minimum of four years and three months in prison.
The judge said that once his sentenced has been served, he will only be let out if he is deemed to no longer be a danger to women.
