A WOMAN has finally seen the man who raped her brought to justice – more than 26 years after the attack and after pursuing him to a Norwegian court.

The victim, who is now in her 40s, spoke to the Derby Telegraph following Gregory Thompson's conviction and after a judge imposed a suspended prison sentence and ordered that she be paid compensation.

Thompson was arrested at the time of the rape in 1985 and remanded into custody.

But he was released on bail by a court before his trial – despite having previously been jailed for another rape – and fled abroad.

He was eventually traced to Norway, where he had been granted citizenship after marrying.

The Norwegian authorities would not extradite him but agreed he could be tried there.

His victim, who is now married with two children and lives in Derby, travelled to Norway to face her attacker in court.

She described how she was still haunted by her ordeal, saying: "Since it happened I cannot go out on my own because I panic, thinking I might bump into him. He took my freedom away from me, in a way.

"I always said that if he was ever caught, I would want to face him to let him know what he had made my life like."

Thompson, 59, formerly of Burton and now living in Oslo, pleaded guilty on the first day of his trial.

After giving evidence at Oslo District Court, his victim, who cannot be identified, said: "It was scary but I did it. I feel like I've been carrying this weight around with me for the last 26 years and now I feel like it has been lifted off my shoulders.

"And I do feel safer now – I don't think he'll ever come back over here."

But she said that what he had done would stay with her forever. She has suffered nightmares, flashbacks and anxiety attacks.

In court, she described the "terrifying" experience, where Thompson had forced himself on her while another man held her down.

She said she had been screaming and kicking but they would not let her go.

She had gone to a house with the two men believing there was a party and on the condition they ordered her a taxi to go home.

After the attack, she fled to a friend's home and police were called.

Thompson was arrested the following day. He told police he had drunk a lot and acknowledged having sex with the victim but denied rape. He then fled the UK.

The other man was convicted of complicity to rape and jailed for six years.

In 1995, police in the UK attempted to have Thompson extradited.

He was arrested in Norway but extradition was refused because he had been granted citizenship.

The case remained open and was taken up again when Staffordshire Police formed a new fugitive unit in 2009 to trace offenders wanted for serious, outstanding crimes.

Thompson was again traced to Norway.

And in February 2010, the UK put in a request to have a case against him heard there, which was accepted.

Detective Chief Inspector Dave Garrett, from Staffordshire Police, said: "This is the first time that the Norwegian judicial system has agreed to try a Norwegian citizen for an offence committed in Staffordshire.

"It proves that offenders can run but can never really hide."

At the start of the trial, Thompson admitted his guilt. He said he remembered little of what had happened but the information he had received convinced him that he had committed the offence.

The court heard Thompson had been convicted of rape at Stafford Crown Court in the early 1980s and jailed for three years.

A Norwegian judge has now sentenced Thompson to two years in prison, suspended for two years, and ordered that he pay the woman compensation believed to be worth about £38,000.

In a written verdict, the judge stated that the long elapsed time was a powerful mitigating factor, saying (translated) "British authorities have followed the matter up badly and must bear the bulk of the responsibility for the long time spans".

The woman said she did not fault the authorities for their handling of the case and was grateful to the police for their support.