Milton Keynes rape victim seeks change in bail laws after she bumped into her rapist in local Tesco store

A brave 24-year-old MK woman who bumped into her rapist in Tesco is petitioning for bail laws to be changed for anyone charged with rape.

Kayleigh Keasley waived her right to anonymity earlier this year to speak out to the Citizen about her three and a half year ordeal before rapist Craig Burnikell was put behind bars.

From the time Kayleigh was raped, it was 1,278 days until Burnikell was finally sentenced. During that time he walked free, living on Coffee Hall, just a couple of miles away from Kayleigh.

“Two weeks after the incident happened and I’d reported it to the police, I went to Tesco and saw him in the shop,” she said.

"I threw my trolley and ran out of the shop and now I can’t go to there on my own."

Kayleigh has started a petition urging parliament to remove the right to bail for anyone charged with rape.

“We want individuals who are charged with rape to be remanded until their case is heard,” she says. "The government should remove their right to bail, to ensure that they cannot offend while awaiting trial.

“There are substantial restrictions on the granting of bail to individuals charged with murder, but far less stringent restrictions on the granting of bail to individuals charged with rape. We want this to change.”

Kayleigh was raped after a night out at a city club in December 2019. Burnikell, now 26, was arrested a week after the incident but he wasn’t officially charged with the crime until February 2021, 14 months after the attack happened.

Kayleigh had to undergo two court trials, giving evidence behind a curtain to shield her from her attacker, after the first trial ended in a hung jury. It was not until June 13 this year that he was finally sentenced at Aylesbury Crown Court to eight years in prison.

Even though justice has been done, Kayleigh still feels “dirty, worthless and violated”.

She had been out at Revolutions in CMK when Burnikell, an HGV driver and friend of a friend, offered to share taxi with her to their respective homes.

They arrived at Burnikell’s home first and Kayleigh asked the cab driver to wait while she popped in to use his loo. Moments later, she returned to find her phone and her bag had gone missing.

“I searched and searched for about 45 minutes. I couldn’t pay the taxi driver without them. Eventually I agreed to stay the night at Craig’s, in a separate room.”

The missing bag was found the following day – hidden underneath Burnikell’s car.

Kayleigh said: "I went to sleep then suddenly woke up and the rape was happening. I was drifting in and out of consciousness and couldn’t find the strength to stop it. I wanted to fight him off, but I couldn’t move.

"Looking back, I was sure my drink had been spiked, which explains why I was unable to move...I was powerless – it was horrible.”

She is urging people to sign her petition here before the deadline on October 12.

"If I can stop one other woman from going through what I did then it will be worth it.”