Victim reveals abuse by her own ‘evil’ brother
Midland paedophile jailed after string of vile sex crimes
THE sister of a convicted paedophile who raped a child claims she was herself sexually abused by her evil brother.
Warped Gavin Sloan sexually assaulted children in a case later branded ‘harrowing’ by police. He was jailed for 21 years.
The “dangerous” 46-year-old admitted more than 30 offences including the rape of a child, possessing indecent images of children and sexual assaults against children.
Now, his half-sister Melissa has waived her right to anonymity to lift the lid on the abuse she claims she suffered at the hands of her halfbrother while growing up.
Ms Sloan, who is a year younger than her half-sibling, said: “I just feel sorry for the victims. I don’t know who the victims are. It makes me sick to think about it.”
The abuse, she claims, started when she was just eight and Sloan was nine.
It continued into her 30s, when Melissa finally stood up to him and reported the alleged abuse at a police station in 2012.
West Mercia Police confirmed officers received a report of child sexual abuse from Ms Sloan in 2012 and stressed “extensive efforts” were made by the force to investigate allegations.
Recalling the difficult moment she opened up to officers, Melissa said: “He was evil. He did the same to me, he abused me when I was little. He had always been weird like that.
“I used to cry all the time. Once you’ve been abused you always carry it with you. I broke down and went to the police station.
“He’s a very dangerous person and he was going to end up doing it to someone else.”
Nine years later, in 2021, police paid a visit to Melissa at her home as they pursued a separate investigation into the child sex abuse he later admitted at court.
There, she claims, officers apologised, asked if Gavin Sloan had been near her children and urged her to
pursue justice against her brother.
Melissa said: “They wanted me to go against him in court but I said it’s already too late. They said I can still go to court, but he’s never going to come out.”
Ms Sloan, now a mother-of-seven with a supportive partner, said she won’t be pursuing court action at the moment as her brother’s already behind bars.
“Should he come up for parole, she will ensure “he’s not going to come out”, she added.
Sloan was arrested in May last year after officers from West Mercia Police
carried out a warrant at his home address. It was believed he may have been in possession of indecent images of children.
Officers discovered numerous videos containing indecent images of children, including a video of Sloan himself sexually assaulting a young child. The images had been taken between 2013 and 2021.
Sloan, formerly of Briar Close in Minsterley near Shrewsbury, was jailed for 21 years on May 12 this year.
“He’s very dangerous. I feel better that he’s locked up and he’s not going to hurt anyone else there. But I feel sorry for the victims, they’re going to suffer for the rest of their lives,” Melissa added.
She knew her sibling had been jailed, but had no idea he had been convicted of harrowing child sex abuse crimes. When she read what he had done, she suffered a breakdown.
“I was shocked, I broke down. I’m still dealing with the trauma now,” she said, explaining that she hadn’t seen him for around two years including the one year he was on remand.
“He’s dead to me now. When my mum was dying, he put his arms around her – knowing what he’d been doing, knowing what he’s done.”
Melissa said she felt she had “got justice” in the end. She urged other victims of sexual abuse to speak up and report offences to police. She added: “I want people who have been abused themselves to speak up. Don’t be afraid of them (abusers), don’t be scared.
“I’ve hid mine since I was growing up and it’s come out now, I’ve got it off my shoulders. I’ve got justice in the end. It takes courage, it’s not easy to say.”
West Mercia Police said: “We can confirm that we received a report of child sexual abuse and at the time extensive efforts were made to investigate the report.”
Detective Inspector Jo Delahay of West Mercia Police added: “It takes great courage to come forward and report offences such as this and we recognise that the court system is not always a route a victim wishes to pursue at the time. We have specially trained officers who work with victims and ensure they have the support they need.”
He’s very dangerous. I feel better that he’s locked up and he’s not going to hurt anyone else there. But I feel sorry for the victims. Sister