A 60 year old rapist and paedophile has
admitted to raping his two step-daughters and deliberately infecting them with HIV. He
originally denied the accusations but is now
awaiting sentence after changing his plea to
guilty on the second day of his trial this week.
He has since developed full-blown AIDS.
One of the girls was about 11 when she
contracted the potentially deadly virus. Her
sister was 14.
Now one of the girls, now 22, tells how she
only found she had been infected during a
routine antenatal blood test when
she got pregnant by her boyfriend. She said
that moment of happiness turned
to devastation when she found out. She knew
immediately she had to try to save her
younger sister, still only 12, from the same
fate.
But tests after her sister was removed from the
family home by social services showed that
she, too, had been infected.
Shockingly, their mother stood by the man as
he accused the girls of lying.
The daughter’s only relief has been that her
diagnosis was early enough in her pregnancy
for drugs to prevent the HIV being passed on in
the womb, meaning her son was born free of
the virus.
This is her story:
"Mum came home one day in 2006
when I was 11 with a new man and our
world changed forever. Within a couple
of weeks he’d moved in with us and
within a couple of months he was
abusing me. My own dad had left when
I was a baby and I never knew him.
The dads of my younger sister and
brother had both done the same, so we
were always a single parent family.
Now we suddenly had a stepdad I
thought we’d be a real family.
At first I was right, and the new man
treated me how I always thought I
wanted to be treated. I was the eldest
and I was used to the younger ones
getting all of mum’s attention. But my
stepdad bought me a new phone and
clothes and gave me cash.
Then one day when I was 12, mum was
in the kitchen doing tea when he told
me to sit next to him on the sofa and
suddenly kissed me. I was shocked
and told him to stop but it only spurred
him on. That was the start.
I’d been in the bath one night a few
weeks later and he knew I’d be getting
ready for bed so he came into my
room. I tried to tell him to leave but he
forced me down on to the bed and
ripped my towel away before raping
me. I had no choice. I was terrified.
After that, he made excuses for me to
sleep in his bed with him every night
and told mum to sleep with my little
sister in case she had nightmares. He
bought me a ring which he told me to
wear like an engagement ring as if I
was his fiancée, not his child.
Then one month I started getting bad
stomach pains I was 13 and pregnant.
He said I’d been sleeping around at
school and made me have a secret
abortion, then took the scan pictures
from me.
Neighbours and family members
suspected something was going on but
my mum never believed it. Maybe if
someone had listened it wouldn’t have
happened to my little sister as well.
When the police and social services
came to the house, I wanted to tell
them what was happening but they
only ever interviewed me in front of him
and I was too scared to say. Now I
wish I had.
When I fell pregnant with my partner’s
baby I was happy at last but when the
midwife said I was HIV positive my
world fell apart. The abuse had stayed
a secret for so long. In that moment
everything came back to punch me in
the stomach. I felt disgusting, dirty and
inhuman.
I knew instantly I’d got it from him
because just two weeks earlier he’d
been rushed to an AIDS unit in London.
I remembered thinking I didn’t care if he
died now I’m facing my own life
sentence. I wasn’t just sickened by the
things he’d done, but also by myself for
being infected with this virus. I knew
now it would all come out and it was a
mixture of fear and relief.
I told my boyfriend to leave me and for
his family to leave me alone. I felt
sickened and disgusted by myself so I
imagined they felt the same. But
amazingly they said they still loved me
and have stuck by me.
Now my mum’s partner has admitted
what he did we can move on. But I take
each day at a time and try not to think
about what the future holds.
I always hoped and prayed he hadn’t
got to my little sister, but once I knew
what he’d done to my future I had to
get her away from him. I couldn’t let
him ruin my baby sister’s life like he
had my own. I knew in that moment I
had to make the police and social
services believe what he had done.
When I heard her test results I filled
with a rage like I’ve never felt. I was
screaming and shouting, my boyfriend
and his mum had to hold me down, I
was just inconsolable. Who can rape a
child and ruin their entire future by
giving them one of the most dreaded
diseases in the world?
He’d already given us both a life
sentence mentally because we can
never forget what he did but now he
has given us a physical life sentence
too.
At the moment my sister is too young
to understand what she has or why she
has it – she just knows she has “funny
blood” but it’s only a matter of time.
When the time comes I’m the only other
person in the world who will understand
how she feels.
Police had to keep us apart when he
was arrested to make sure we didn’t
talk to each other to match up our
stories.
When he changed his plea to guilty, I
was relieved not just because of the
result but because it meant I could see
her again. Now all this is over I’m going
to be there for her until the end.
When the abuse first started I didn’t tell
my mum because I wanted to protect
her. I thought if she knew she would
blame me, or it would cause the family
to break up and she would be sad.
But she took me to bingo one night
when I was 18 and as we were getting
on the bus suddenly I was really
conscious we’d left my little sister
alone with him so I told mum
everything. I told her I was worried he
would do it again. She said I was
making it up.It felt like the biggest
betrayal. I had plucked up the courage
but she was choosing him over me.
I don’t have anything to do with my
mum any more. We don’t live far away
from each other so we still see each
other at family events but I can’t
forgive her for not believing me. I have
my partner’s mum now, who is more of
a mother to me. My sister has been
taken into care so she has foster
parents now."
When the CPS discussed charges, they
wanted to get him for giving us HIV but
that falls under the bracket of GBH.
Rape carries a greater punishment so
they went for that instead – but I think
he should have got manslaughter.
He has put lives at risk for his own sick
pleasure. He should never get out.
I’d tried so hard to put the rape and
abuse behind me so that I could start
my own family and have a chance at
happiness. But now he has me right
where he wanted me – with a life-long
reminder of what he did to me.
All I wanted was to bond with my son
and have the kind of family I’d missed
out on because of the abuse and
neglect.
But from day one, it was impossible. I
had to have a Caesarean so I didn’t
pass it on to him during the birth, then I
wasn’t allowed to breastfeed.
From day one I was terrified of cutting
myself or having even a little scratch
and going near him in case I made him
ill.
As he’s grown older it’s become even
more heartbreaking. I see him take a
tumble and graze his knee and my
maternal instinct tells me to go straight
to him and kiss it better – but I can’t.
I have to put on rubber gloves or let my
partner or someone else go to him.
He is too young to understand so he
just thinks I’m not going to help him.
All of this is because of that man.
I live day to day and I always believe
that if and when I get ill from the virus I
will take it as it comes.
I’m grateful every day that I fell
pregnant because the blood test
probably saved me from getting much
more ill.
I’m on medication so things are under
control for now – and most importantly
my son is happy and healthy.
He hasn’t got to my boy and now he
never will.
The judge at Canterbury Crown Court warned
him to expect an indeterminate sentence after
he confessed to a string of crimes ranging
from rape of a child under 13 to sexual assault
and attempted rape.The other caption is that of the older sister with her boyfriend and son.
Daily Mirror
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