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A sex assault victim says she was sacked by HMRC for taking too many sick days before she was due to testify at her attacker's trial.

The woman, 48, was wracked with stress as she prepared to give evidence at rapist Jason Okwara's trial last November.

She was one of three women targeted by Okwara between 2004 and 2012, and her harrowing testimony helped convict him.

The victim, a cancer survivor, worked as a call handler for the taxman and claims her bosses were aware of the case and ignored the stress that it was causing her.

But she told the Daily Record that HMRC are denying her claims and she is now seeking legal advice about her options.

A judge at the High Court in Glasgow blasted Okwara for his “sense of entitlement to women and sex” as she jailed him for nine years last month.

The victim, Sharon (not her real name), said last night: “The attack has affected me and my partner very badly – we have really struggled to deal with it.

“At the start of last year, I was told I would have to give evidence at Okwara’s trial in November. I was very worried about it and my health and work suffered even more.

“I told my line manager about the case and the effect it was having on me – something the HMRC are now denying.

(Image: Facebook)

“I don’t think I’ve been treated fairly and I’m seeking legal advice about my options."

In her dismissal letter, HMRC bosses claimed Sharon had taken 79 days sickness absence in the 12 months up to September 2017.

The letter states she “did not advise her absences may be linked to the serious sexual assault”.

Asked about Sharon’s claims, an HMRC spokesman said: “We do not comment on individual staff members. We are committed to treating all our staff fairly and with consideration at all times.”

(Image: Facebook)

Fighting back tears, Sharon, who was attacked by Okwara in Dundee in 2012, described the moment last July when she nearly took her own life.

She said: “I sat on the back step of the house with a sharp knife. My son found me before I could do anything and snapped me out of it.”

Okwara was convicted of raping two women and sexually assaulting Sharon.

The 45-year-old, who is originally from the US, pled not guilty to all charges, forcing his victims to give evidence and relive the horror of the attacks.

(Image: Facebook)

One of the women told how she felt “humiliated” by the “horrific” justice system. Sharon empathised with her fellow victim, adding: “No-one warned me how terrifying giving evidence would be. Okwara’s lawyer stood there like a matador and I was his bull.

“He made me feel horrible, it was like I was the one on trial. When I finished giving evidence, I left the courtroom and collapsed crying in the corridor.”

The first rape occurred on a “particularly vulnerable” woman in Broughty Ferry in 2004.

Okwara struck again five years when his victim “simply froze” as he told her “your body says yes” while raping her.

He molested Sharon in August 2012. Sharon’s partner described the devastation Okwara’s attack has caused.

He said: “I haven’t been able to work in recent months – I need to be close to her and wrap her in cotton wool, all the time.”

Shocked daughter spotted sex beast working in benefits office

Sharon’s daughter was stunned to find her mum’s sex attacker working at a benefits office.

The serial rapist spent two weeks in a Department for Work and Pensions office in Dundee’s Wellgate before his trial last year.

His victim’s daughter took a photograph of Okara behind a desk and alerted the office manager.

She was concerned that the sex attacker would have access to her files and those of vulnerable women, including single female parents.

Sharon said: “My daughter was terrified. She knew exactly who he was and what he’d done to me.

“She told the manager at the time but we don’t think anything was done about it.”

Okwara was due to stand trial in 2014 but the case was postponed until November.

The victim added: “How did they let a man like him into that office? What checks do they carry out?”

A DWP source said Okwara did not have access to the department’s full database and insisted criminal conviction checks are carried out on all temporary staff.