Article from The Daily Mail
Brian May appears in court to back up chauffeur who is on trial for child sex abuse.
I was sent this article yesterday and I couldn’t believe how similar it was to my case. A driver that was described as a gentle giant, someone who couldn’t do anything so horrendous to a child.
Now I don’t know the whole story of this case but reading what he has been accused of I can’t see these two girls lying. Victims of child abuse don’t lie. Why would we? What do we have to gain from coming forward to the police and going through the most stressful time with statements, investigations with you and your family and the anxiety that it will bring? For a case like this it can sometimes take years to get to court, it did for me, 3 years to be exact, so why would someone lie and go through the worst ordeal if it wasn’t true?
People who sexual abuse children are incredibly clever, they gain the trust of everyone around them, not just the child. This man may be lovely, kind and honest to others like Brian May but what’s to say that because he comes across as a “stand-up guy” to men and women that he isn’t capable of child abuse? To me this doesn’t make any sense. People can be opportunists, just because someone commits rape 20 years ago but has been a lovely human since, kind to everyone around them, works hard and hasn’t committed a crime since does NOT excuse the crime from 20 years ago!
When my case was going on I constantly had warning that he hadn’t done anything since (that they knew of) and since had been a good citizen. I knew what he did and I knew just because he hadn’t committed any other crimes since, didn’t mean that what he did to me didn’t happen. My abuser was to other people a man who couldn’t possibly abuse a child, he had children of his own, he was always a kind and hardworking man. I had men and women stand up and justify his personality in court. Luckily in my case, the jury had other information/evidence that allowed them to convict him and find him guilty.
Historic abuse cases are very difficult because the evidence can be slim for obvious reasons. The police and CPS have to go on different kinds of evidence like statements from people, mental health history and personal records things like that. With all that, it then comes down to ‘their word against yours’ and vice versa.
I know that everyone has the right to have character witnesses and to defend themselves until proven guilty but what worries me with cases like child abuse and this case for example is that people believe the offender more than the victim. It’s clear to see when the number of people prosecuted and convicted for rape/child abuse has fallen to the lowest level since records began.
Not being believed is one of the main reason’s victims of sexual abuse or rape do not go to the police. They fear they won’t be believed and then go through all the stress of the process to eventually get to court and for the defendant to be found not guilty is heart breaking.
These women are now my age, I know the stress and anxiety they are going through right now; they need all the support they can get and for people to believe them.
I am someone who was a victim of sexual abuse and I understand and I believe them.
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