A woman raped as a 15-year-old schoolgirl decades ago said she still felt the affects of the violation today.

The woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, said that she suffered “terrible emotional scars”.

She added: “Today I still have nightmares over what happened to me more than 30 years ago.”

The woman said that she had difficulty with relationships and had trouble sleeping.

She added: “Some days I suffer from extreme depression as a result.”

The woman said that since the case went to court she had started counselling sessions to help deal with the trauma caused by the rape.

She added: “Day to day, I try my hardest to put this behind me, but it is no easy task.

“I cry every day and say ‘why me?’”

The woman’s victim impact statement was read as Morris O’Brien was sentenced for rape yesterday.

O’Brien, 53, was convicted of the offence by a Supreme Court in a unanimous verdict in February and remanded in custody.

O’Brien, who was 23 at the time, raped the teenager, said to be a family friend, in 1988.

The woman, now 45, told the trial that he had raped her on the living room floor as her sister slept in a bedroom.

She said that she blacked out during the attack and that O’Brien was gone when she regained consciousness.

The woman said that O’Brien had “stalked” her after the rape.

O’Brien denied that he had raped the girl and insisted that he had “consensual” sex with the girl three times while she was underage.

O’Brien said yesterday that he was “remorseful” for what happened. He added: “Looking back, it’s something that I regret.”

Kenlyn Swan, for the prosecution, said O’Brien had to accept responsibility for the attack. She added: “He is solely to blame for the opportunistic attack.”

Ms Swan said that the damage caused to the woman by the rape was “immeasurable”.

She added that the woman was “a blameless victim”.

Ms Swan said that the Crown wanted a prison sentence of between ten and 12 years.

But Archibald Warner, O’Brien’s lawyer, said that the sentence had to be in line with what was “applicable and relevant” at the time of the offence.

He added: “The starting point at the time in Bermuda was five years.”

Mr Warner said that the appropriate sentence should be “no more than seven years’ imprisonment”.

Magistrate Carlisle Greaves adjourned the hearing until Friday.

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