Escapee's rape victim demands answers
The woman raped by a man who escaped custody while on a Christmas holiday perk wants to know why he was given the privilege when her life has been shattered by the horrendous crime.
Her father told The West Australian that his traumatised daughter and family were angry, appalled and let down by the justice system and the Government.
"This person breaks in and commits this horrendous crime and yet he gets the privileges," he said.
"He's sent to Geraldton at the taxpayers' expense to be near family, yet my daughter - who is the victim in this crime - can't be near her family.
"She has to be overseas away from her family because she's too terrified to be in this country."
The man, who cannot be named to protect his daughter's identity, said she wanted him to speak out about the lasting impact of Cameron John Graham's brutal and degrading attack last January.
Graham was sentenced to 11 years jail in November for rape.
"She wants people to know how much it has cost her and her family," he said.
"She can't be on her own any more. She's on antidepressants. It's put a strain on her relationship with her husband, it's affected the children, it's affected the whole family."
He said his daughter had been unable to return to her family's new home and it was being sold.
The father said they were relieved Graham had been recaptured but could not fathom why a known violent offender had not been handcuffed or locked to the van and was able to escape so easily.
"Someone needs to answer for that . . . how he was in that situation where he could just kick the door and walk away," he said.
Graham and fellow escapee, alleged armed robber Kelden Edward Fraser, were back behind bars in Geraldton last night after a 36-hour manhunt ended when police tracked them to a bush camp north of Mullewa.
The pair have been charged with escaping lawful custody, aggravated robbery and stealing a motor vehicle and will appear in Geraldton Court by video link with Greenough Regional Prison this morning.
More than 100 police searched for the fugitives after they broke out of a prison van at Geraldton airport on Friday afternoon and fled in a four-wheel-drive.
Authorities have not revealed the cost of the operation but the State Government will consider billing Serco, the company res-ponsible for prisoner transport.
Corrective Services Minister Joe Francis said there had been mistakes on two fronts that led to the escape and Serco had to accept its share of blame.
The victim's father believed the term handed to Graham had been too light, especially when he committed the attack just three weeks after being released from prison, then boasted on Facebook about stealing her money. His escape showed he had not accepted his punishment, he said.
