A 13 year old Belize City female is a survivor but more of a hero tonight after she fearlessly fought off a determined rapist.
Last night the intruder squeezed in through a window of the Lake Independence home to get into the house. He broke into her room, put a knife to the first former's throat and attempted to rape her.
What happened next is a tale of a young girl's extraordinary will to survive and protect herself. She told the amazing story to Keith Swift in her own words - but to protect the identity of this minor - we won't show her face on camera.
She picks it up at about 1 am this morning while she was sleeping.
Keith Swift Reporting,
'Christina,' 13-year-old Rape Survivor
"I was sleeping right and then afterwards I just heard this voice over. The person had a knife at my neck and then he put his hand over my mouth. I then opened my eyes and then he told me to take off your clothes or else I will kill you and he said not to scream."
To hear this 13 year old tell it is almost unbelievable. Faced with the threat of death and with a knife at her throat - she then single-handedly fought off her attacker.
'Christina,'
"I just get strength in me or something like that and I raise up and when I raise up I struggled with him and I moved his hand from my mouth and screamed for my mother. Then my mother didn't hear me so then he threw me back on the bed. I then just laid down for a little and then I tried to fight him again and then I screamed again."
"So then I struggled with him again and when I did that my head was dropping off the bed so he stabbed me and then he ran away."
He ran off and left Christina with this nasty scar from a stab wound to the left side of her face and a scratch to her neck where the knife grazed her and could have severed a major vessel. Nearly took her life, but what he didn't take was her will to survive. A will, which ultimately saved this 13 year old's life. She told us where she got the strength to fight off a grown man
Keith Swift,
What was going through your head?
'Christina,'
"I just remembered when me and friends used to play at school and they always used to tell me I was strong. So I tried to use my strength pretending that I was playing with them. I was more serious though because my life was in danger (voice crackling) so I just bring down all the strength I had to fight off this person."
Keith Swift,
Did you ever think of giving up?
'Christina,'
"I never gave up. Although he told me he would kill me I didn't give up."
Keith Swift,
"Do you consider yourself a hero?"
'Christina'
"Not really because I was in pain but then other girls wouldn't have fought or nothing like that. They would have given up. But not me because I am not ready to dead yet."
We note that the interview was conducted in the presence of and with the full consent of Christina's mother. Last night police detained two neighbors but up to news time they didn't have enough to charge either. As we noted the man gained entry through a bedroom window and before escaping he also stole an Aiwa brand stereo.