Her bravery in reporting Darrin Garnham’s repeated abuse between 1981 and 1983, when she was between six and nine years old, led to him being imprisoned last week for 21 months.
She urged other survivors of child sex abuse carried out in Guernsey to get in touch with police.
‘I think there’s a lot of historical child abuse in Guernsey which has never been reported,’ she said.
‘I want to encourage people to come forward, however difficult, because the support is there in place in Guernsey.’
Garnham committed four sex offences against the woman when he returned to the island on leave from the military.
Having lived with the trauma of his abuse for more than 40 years before reporting it to police, she feared she would not be taken seriously.
But she said local police could not have done more to support her.
‘I can say hand on heart, from the minute it was passed onto Guernsey Police and the initial phone call, they were absolutely fantastic.
‘They were compassionate, they listened to me, and Francesca, the lady who dealt with me, was amazing.'
The woman, who is now aged 50, reported the abuse to her local police in Wales, where she now lives, and they passed it on to Guernsey Police.
She came to the island a couple of months after reporting it to provide a video interview as evidence.
It was the first time she had ever gone through the incidents in such depth.
‘I was totally believed when I gave my video evidence. It was done away from the police station. It was informal in a lounge setting,’ she said.
‘The officers weren’t in uniform, which put me at ease, and they asked questions in a way that allowed me to get out memories which I had forgotten. It was a really supportive experience.’
Officers kept her informed and offered support throughout the investigation and trial.
‘Francesca was on leave at the time of the trial and still came into court to sit through the whole process with me and answered my questions through the whole five days,’ she said.
‘I didn’t want to be in court for the actual verdict, so she came running out of the court to tell me.’
She was contacted immediately after Garnham was sentenced in the Royal Court.
The woman said she was treated with utmost respect and compassion from the minute Guernsey Police picked up her case,
‘I really want to encourage more people to come forward, however long ago it was.
‘Guernsey Police could not have handled it any better and couldn’t have been any more supportive. I’d like to thank them personally.’