A Buckinghamshire woman who was raped nearly four years ago wants the current bail laws to be changed after she met her attacker in a local supermarket.
Kayleigh Keasley, 24, waived her right to anonymity to publicly talk about her notion, after she was assaulted following a night out with friends in Milton Keynes in December 2019.
Her attacker, Craig Burnikell, was arrested a week after the incident.
However, he wasn’t officially charged with the crime until February 2021, which 14 months after the attack happened.
READ MORE: Husband of disgraced teacher who had sex with boy 'moves on with new woman'
It would be a further 28 months until he was jailed for eight years.
Kayleigh said: “I started a petition to tighten bail conditions on bailed rapists.
"What they are allowed to do after being charged and convicted is ridiculous - you wouldn’t let a murderer out on the street.
“He was still out on the streets and could easily do it to someone else in the meantime.
“By leaving it that long they’re giving him the chance to do it to other girls.
“Two weeks after the incident happened and I’d reported it to the police, I went to Tesco and saw him in the shop.
READ MORE: Four arrested as ANOTHER cannabis farm is located within the county
"I threw my trolley and ran out of the shop and now I can’t go to the shop on my own."
Kayleigh, who is from Buckinghamshire, was attacked by Burnikell, 26, following a night out, with the two knowing each other through friends of a friend.
She was supposed to return home but after the pair shared a taxi, she discovered her bag and phone had gone missing.
Burnikell then offered her the guest room at his house in which she accepted.
However, she woke during the night to find the predator raping her.
He was arrested a week after the attack on December 20 that year but wasn’t charged until February 18, 2021.
A court date was set for April 4, 2022, but this was adjourned after one day due to a juror being unwell.
READ MORE: In the Dock: Man touches sleeping female sexually in PUBLIC avoids jail
The trial was then rescheduled which ended in a hung jury.
It wasn’t until April 2023 that the second trial took place, in which Burnikell, a former HGV driver, was convicted of rape.
But he was not remanded and continued on bail until he was sentenced on June 13, 2023, at Aylesbury Crown Court.
He was found guilty of one count of rape and was handed eight years in prison.
But Kayleigh, a national communications centre supervisor, says the wait for justice was debilitating.
READ MORE: Noodle bar celebrates opening with free spring roll giveaway TODAY
She said: “I used to be that girl that would go anywhere on my own and would want to go travelling on my own - but now that sounds petrifying.
“It was horrible, I don’t think [prosecutors] realise – every single day I felt like I had a weight on my shoulders as it wasn’t over and not done.
“My main reason for going to the police was that I could not forgive myself if I found out he did it to someone else - all I wanted was to stop it from happening and they were giving him the chance to do it again."
Kayleigh’s petition to change bail conditions for charged rapists can be found here: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/635847
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel