THE woman at the centre of a rape case which led to a change in the law has met Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill to urge him to hold firm on his plans to abolish the requirement for corroboration in criminal trials.

Mary Ann Davison waived her right to anonymity last month by telling The Herald of her strong views on the law.

Yesterday, she visited Mr MacAskill at the Scottish Parliament and told him to stick to his guns on abolition of the corroboration requirement which is a key factor in sexual assault cases not coming to court.

Mrs Davison, of Irvine, North Ayrshire, was studying history at Aberdeen University when she reported that a fellow student had raped her. The collapse of the 2001 trial led to reform of the law in relation to the use of force in sexual assault cases.

With the backing of her family and her husband, she decided to waive her right to anonymity to campaign for better laws to help anyone who has been sexually assaulted.

When she takes part in the Cheshire 10 kilometre run next month, she will be raising money for Rape Crisis Scotland, and she says having daughters Kirsten, five and Iona, two, has stiffened her resolve to find a better deal for women in the future.

She said: "There is so much that has to change in society over the way sexual crimes are viewed, so we need messages for boys and men on the rights and wrongs."