TTT - // I ask only one question, why now? //
As a counsellor, I have dealt with may groomed and abused women and girls who carried such a burden of shame with them that they only felt able to share it down a phone with a stranger, and then usually with long pauses, tears, and sometimes several conversations.
It is possible that the accuser has simply not felt able to confront her abuser until now.
This of course leads some people, and some on this site who ought to know better, to conclude that this is a cynical effort to secure a financial settlement.
But trust me, an abused woman is not going to put herself through the trauma of a court case which, even if the accused is found guilty, is never ever going to give her the one thing she really wants.
It's not money, it's peace of mind and a decent night's sleep.
You can't get those through a court, only vindication, which may, or may not help.