Jill Saward: Tireless Campaigner For Victims Of Sexual Assault Has Died

A woman who campaigned tirelessly for the rights of sexual assault victims after being the victim of her own brutal attack has died.

Jill Saward, a committed Christian, was raped by burglers in her family home – a vicarage – when she was 21.

After the attack in 1986, which became widely known as the Ealing Vicarage Rape, Saward became a tireless campaigner on a number of justice issues. She had become the first victim to waive her right to anonymity, meaning she became a passionate advocate of victims' rights in the media.

She wrote a book about her experiences, founded a support organization and even ran for Parliament in 2008, aiming to highlight what she saw as the lack of comments by senior political figures about sexual assault.

She is survived by her husband Gavin, a respected Christian journalist, and three sons.

The family released a statement which said: "In consultation with medical staff the family readily agreed to Jill's desire to be an organ donor."  

It continued: "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. We would like to thank all those who contributed to her medical care in recent days."After her death was announced, tributes poured in on Twitter and via other social media outlets.