A brave woman who was gang-raped in front of her own father is refusing to let the sick thugs win.

Jes Foord, 28, won't be broken by the trauma of the attack, which took place when she and her father Tim, 64, were approached by a gang of men with guns in Shongweni, South Africa, as they walked their puppy Lucy.

The vile gang tied Mr Foord to a tree and held a knife to his throat before attacking Mrs Foord.

They then stole his car and drove off.

Afterwards Mrs Foord, from Waterfall, in South Africa, had to take medication similar to what cancer sufferers take to prevent the risk of contracting HIV, making her hair fall out and leaving her sick for weeks.

But despite this, she was brave enough to go to court to give evidence against the men – who laughed at her in court.

However, they were jailed for a combined 107 years.

“When I saw the men I assumed they would rob us,” Mrs Foord, who has since married, said. “But instead they tied my father to a tree and held a knife to his throat while the others took it in turns to rape me.

“I could have been broken. It could have destroyed us. Instead I am closer than ever to my father.

In 2014 Mrs Foord and her partner Jonathan, 28, had twins, Layla and Daniel.

She said: “I felt so numb while they took the swabs. I was put on medication similar to chemo to block HIV.

“I lost my hair and was sick for weeks. I had to take the morning after pill, plus TB and STD medication.”

Mrs Foord spoke out because she wanted other rape victims to come forward, and is concerned about South Africa’s low conviction rate for rape.

She said: “When it happened, I decided I wasn’t going to let it control me.

“They took something from me and I couldn’t prevent that, but the rest of my life is mine. I have my babies to keep me going.”

Recounting the day of the attack in March 2008, she said: “We were taking Lucy for her first dip in the lake.

“The sun was blazing and Lucy was just splashing around. I heard a noise, it was a man shouting.

“I turned around and saw a muscular, young man holding a gun.

“Instinctively, I dropped to the floor throwing my hands in the air. My dad did the same.”

The pair told the gang to take their car.

She said: “My mouth was dry with terror as they wrenched off my necklace and bracelet.

“I prayed they would grab our stuff and run. Instead, they pushed us both into a ditch, with their digging into our backs.”

The gang tied her father’s arms and legs to a tree and held a knife to his throat.

Mrs Foord said: “I watched helpless. He kept saying, ‘I’m here Jes.’

“The sound of his voice was the only thing that made sense in this nightmare.

“Then one man shoved dad’s fishing hat into his mouth with his knife, and he was silent.”

Mrs Foord realised the danger she was in.

She said: “They were urging each other on and jeering. One ripped off my shorts while the other held a blade to my neck.

“They took it in turns one by one. I thought it would never stop. I kept thinking that they would never break me, that they wouldn’t win.

“When it was over, they drove off in our truck. I saw the look in my dad’s eyes, it was heartbreaking.”

Mrs Foord untied her father and ran for help.

Two women on horses stopped on the path and called the emergency services.

When they reached their home, paramedics, police and social workers were all waiting to examine Mrs Foord and take samples.

Two days after the attack, police caught the perpetrators.

She said: “I broke down. At least they were off the streets and behind bars.”

Conviction rates are notoriously low in South Africa, so to encourage other rape victims to come forward, Mrs Foord waived her right to anonymity.

She said: “At first, I wasn’t sure I made the right decision.

“But then I started getting letters from well-wishers and I knew it was important.

“My mum Jacqui, 64, brother Stephen, 25, and my dad were 100 per cent supportive.”

Mrs Foord had to give evidence during the trial in March 2009 but asked for the court to be cleared.

She said: “I didn’t want my dad or the rest of my family to go through it again.

“Sickeningly, my attackers laughed throughout my evidence.”

Nthuhuko Chili, 18, Lindani Maphumulo, 19, and Mbotho Msomi, 26, all from Shongweni Reserve, were given life sentences for rape and sexual assault and 15 years each for armed robbery with aggravating circumstances to run concurrently at Durban High Court.

Siyabonga Ntinga, 18, also from Shongweni Reserve, was acquitted of raping Mrs Foord, but sentenced to 15 years for armed robbery.

The fifth attacker was 17, so he cannot be named. He was sentenced to 17 years in prison.

Following their conviction, Mrs Foord set up the Jes Foord Foundation.

Her aim is to encourage other victims to come forward and try to remove the stigma, as well as improving facilities at police stations for rape victims.

In 2009, Mrs Foord met her partner Jonathan through a mutual friend.

The couple married in April 2011.

She said: “It was so wonderful to have my dad walk me down the aisle.

“I’ve never let what happened taint the brilliant things that have happened since.”

Mrs Foord had an ovarian cyst removed in 2010 and the damage caused to her ovaries meant it was unlikely she would ever have children.

She said: “It felt like a miracle finding out I was pregnant. We were so overwhelmed, it was amazing.

“From the beginning, Jonathan was convinced we were having twins and at the nine-week scan it turned out he was right.”

She said she is worried about Layla’s safety.

“To begin with I said I’d let her live her own life. Now I am worried about her, but when she’s old enough I will tell her what happened.

“I want to be open with her. I don’t want to let one moment of my life control me forever.”