Jill Saward, who became a trailblazing sexual assault campaigner after being raped in her father’s vicarage during a burglary, has died aged 51.

The brutal Ealing Vicarage rape in 1986, sparked public outcry over the lenient sentences given to Jill ’s attackers.

The victim’s brave decision to waive her anonymity led to tougher sentencing and changed how sexual assault victims were viewed.

Jill died in hospital in Wolverhampton after suffering a stroke on Tuesday.

She was subjected to a prolonged knifepoint attack after a gang broke into her father’s vicarage in West London.

Jill Saward was raped during an attack at a vicarage in 1986 (
Image:
Daily Mirror)

While she was being “raped, buggered and indecently assaulted ”, as she later described it, her father, Rev Michael Saward, and her then boyfriend, David Kerr, were battered by the intruders.

There was public outcry after the judge, Mr Justice John Leonard, gave the attackers longer sentences for burglary than for rape.

In 1998, Jill came face-to-face with, Robert Horscroft, who was jailed for 14 years for burglary and assault but was not involved in the rape. She told him: “You don’t need to say sorry.”

Forgiveness was key to Jill. In her book, Rape: My Story, she wrote: “I believe forgiveness gives you freedom.

“Freedom to move on without being held back by the past.”

Jill spent years campaigning on issues including sexual violence (
Image:
Birmingham Post and Mail)
The weapons Jill's attacker used (
Image:
DAILY MIRROR)

As part of moving forward, Jill became a tireless campaigner for sexual assault victims.

Alison Boydell, of the group Jurors Understanding Rape Is Essential Standard (Juries), which Jill co-founded said: “Jill was an indefatigable advocate for victim-survivors of sexual violence and dedicated her life to campaigning and raising awareness of rape and sexual violence.

"She supported so many through her work, kindness and compassion.”

One of Jill’s recent battles was against a proposal to give those accused of rape anonymity until they are convicted, saying this implied victims were lying.

Under laws in place at the time of her case, Jill was not allowed to know her rapist’s name until the day of the trial.

Reverend Michael Saward With Jill Saward Outside Ealing Parish (
Image:
Rex Features)

She said the shock of learning the name in court distracted her giving evidence.

Jill, born in Liverpool in 1965, once wrote she had no issues with being “tagged” as a rape victim, adding: “I make no complaint about this tag as it has enabled me to challenge politicians and work for change.”

A spokeswoman for Rape Crisis England & Wales said of Jill: “Waiving her right to lifelong anonymity, she campaigned tirelessly for both legal and social justice for victims and survivors of rape and sexual violence.

“Jill was able to step outside of her own harrowing experience to highlight the needs and rights of all those impacted by sexual violence.

"Jill was courageous, pioneering and an inspiration. She will be sorely missed.”

Jill with husband Gavin and her son (
Image:
Daily Mirror)

In a statement on her website, her family wrote: “It is with deep shock and great sadness that we must announce Jill Saward died.

"The family readily agreed to Jill’s desire to be an organ donor. Jill dedicated the past 30 years of her life to helping other people.

“It gives us great comfort to know that our wonderful wife, mother and sister was able to help other people to the very end,” the statement read.

After being beaten during the attack on March 6, 1986. Rev Michael and David were left with fractured skulls.

David suffered a blood clot on the brain and a perforated eardrum, which left him deaf in one ear.

Ealing Vicarage Exterior view of the building where Jill Saward was raped (
Image:
Daily Mirror)

The gang poured Radox bath salts into their wounds. After a prolonged rape, Jill was tied up with a skipping rope as her attackers sat in her room drinking.

At the Old Bailey on February 2, 1987, Mr Justice Leonard told Jill’s rapists, Martin McCall and Christopher Byrne: “Because I have been told the trauma suffered by the victim was not so great...I shall take a lenient course with you.”

McCall was jailed for five years for the rape and five for burglary. Byrne got three years for rape and five for burglary.

When Horscroft received 14 years for burglary and assault, the judge was condemned for putting a greater value on property.

When he retired in 1993, Mr Justice Leonard publicly apologised to Jill.

Jill Saward campaigned fearlessly (
Image:
Rex Features)

In a landmark move, she gave up her right to anonymity and spoke to the media in her bid to tighten rape laws and strenghten support for victims.

In the years following her attack, she co-wrote Rape: My Story, co-founded Juries and became a counsellor.

Jill took both the governement and the legal system to task, successfully campaigning to bar alleged rapists who represent themselves in court from cross-examining victims.

Speaking after footballer Ched Evans was cleared of rape at a retrial last October, Jill told the Mirror of her concerns that the complainant’s past relationships were “brought into question” during the case.

She said; “The whole issue of her sexual history are so detrimental because they may stop other people from coming forward.

“It has done so much damage.”

Why Jill forgave her attacker

Jill Saward bravely forgave her attacker (
Image:
Rex Features)

Jill Saward forgave the leader of the gang who attacked her in a face-to-face meeting 12 years after the rape.

Robert Horscroft spent 10 years behind bars, but wasn’t involved in the sex attack.

He told Jill: “I know I’ve got no right to ask your forgiveness.”

She held his hand and replied: “But you have it anyway. You’ve had it for a very long time.”

Jill added in an interview with the Sunday Mirror in 1998: “If I had carried on hating, it would have destroyed me and I didn’t want those men to have that sort of power over me.”

During her two-hour meeting with Horscroft, Jill said she never felt scared. “We were talking, sometimes laughing,” she said.

Jill in 1987 (
Image:
Daily Mirror)

“We were quite relaxed. He is someone from my past. We shared a common experience and we were just talking about that.

"I’ve got no regrets about meeting Horscoft. It gave me an opportunity to find out what happened.”

Jill never wanted to meet Martin McCall or Chris Byrne, the men who raped and assaulted her.

McCall made death threats against Jill while he was in jail. She added: I don’t think he could tell me why he did it.”

Jill was a trailblazer, says Polly Neate, chief executive of Women's Aid

Jill was the first woman to waive anonymity as a rape victim and and it had an enormous impact.

How the Daily Mirror reported Jill forgiving her attacker (
Image:
DAILY MIRROR)

She was a seminal figure in the women’s movement after the judge handed down a harsher sentence for burglary than for the rape.

I think to give a human face to that really disastrous decision made it one that couldn’t happen again. It was very, very powerful.

When women see someone like Jill speaking out, they feel believed, validated and not blamed. She was a trailblazer, it was incredibly brave of her.

What Jill did very publicly was to make that journey from victim to survivor to campaigner.

Although she was a survivor, it had a massive impact on her life and she didn’t shy away from mentioning it.

It is very sad to have lost her so suddenly and so young. We owe it to her legacy to keep campaigning.