AN American woman raped during a visit to Northern Ireland in a shocking attack more than a decade ago is celebrating the birth of her first child.
Winnie Li was 29 when she was targeted in Colin Glen Forest Park in west Belfast in April 2008.
A former student at University College Cork through the Mitchell Scholarship programme, which identifies future American leaders to benefit from study in Ireland, she had been in Belfast for a reunion to coincide with the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement when she was brutally attacked.
Edward Connors was just 15 when he twice raped Ms Li after striking up a conversation with her.
A doctor who examined her after the assault recorded 39 separate injuries including multiple bruises and abrasions to her neck and limbs.
Following the attack Connors fled to Dublin but returned voluntarily when told police were looking for him. He was later sentenced to eight years in jail.
In 2017 was convicted in England of failing to comply with notification requirements after misleading police about where he was living.
Ms Li bravely spoke out after the traumatic attack and has since used her experience to highlight the rights of victims.
In 2017 she penned a novel based on her experience in a bid "to overcome trauma and heal".
The New Jersey-born author said the work of fiction, which tells the story of two people connected by a crime, was "largely inspired by my own rape".
Just over a decade on from the attack, Ms Li has now announced that she has given birth to her first child with her partner, Sam Grove, a community organiser from London.
A fan of Latin names, she has called her son - who was born on December 7 weighing 9lbs - Septimus, which means `seventh', although he will be known as Timo.
The 41-year-old told last night how she had feared she would never become a mother.
"I can honestly say, even though I hoped I might have the chance to become a mother, I doubted if I’d ever have the opportunity, after my assault in Belfast in 2008," she said.
"That unfortunately is the long-lasting impact that rape can have on a victim's life.
"It can affect our relationships, our attitudes towards dating, and ultimately our chances of having a family. So I feel very lucky that I’ve had this chance.
"A year ago, I never (would have) predicted I’d have a newborn at the start of 2020. Life can throw unexpected things our way: some good, some bad. And this is a good one for me".
The writer, who now lives in London, said she has so far found motherhood "challenging, but I don’t think I’m alone in that".
"The process of pregnancy, birth, and nursing is very demanding on a mother’s body," she said.
"As a rape survivor, this was at times triggering, but I’ve had excellent support from my friends and from medical professionals here."
While she is now planning some time off to look after her new baby, Ms Li added that she has plenty of projects lined up, including "finishing my second novel this year".
"It's not as raw or directly personal as Dark Chapter, but it looks at women who chose to remain silent around #MeToo issues in the workplace," she said.
"And I’ll be back in Northern Ireland later in 2020 to run a series of literary events addressing gender-based violence through writing, thanks to a grant from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.".
Happy New Year! Here’s to new beginnings & bright horizons in 2020. #happynewyear2020 #HappyNewYear #HappyNewDecade pic.twitter.com/IwnxZhRRDD
— Winnie M Li (@winniemli) January 2, 2020
