I was 11 when it started. What began as a sleepover became years of abuse that I didn’t understand and didn’t know how to stop. I told adults, but nothing changed. I learned to live with fear, making choices about where I slept and who might hurt me. As the years passed, the abuse continued while I was labelled the “problem child” at school for the way I acted out.

At 16, I was finally out of that house, but the damage followed me into adulthood. I kept the secret for years, trying to make sense of loving and hating the people who hurt me.

At 36, I realised I wasn’t the only one. There were other victims. We spoke to the police and spent over three years helping build a case. Just weeks before the CPS decision, the man responsible died. The case was closed.

For years we kept his secrets. Now I’m speaking so children who are unheard today know they are not alone.