Aimee shares her story to help others

A WOMAN who was supported by the NSPCC after being sexually abused as a child wants to use her experiences to help others and says ‘abuse does not have to define you’.

Aimee was abused from the age of five by her grandfather – a respected community member, magistrate, and Scout leader – for three years. She still remembers disclosing the abuse to her mother.

Aimee, who is now 28, said: “My mum had a talk with my sister and me, and it took me a week from that conversation to tell my mum what had happened to me.

“My dad told my grandpa we never wanted to see him again and asked him why he did it and he said, ‘I can’t help it, it’s like a drug’.”

Aimee, then eight, gave a statement to the police, but her parents chose not to continue the prosecution, wishing to spare her the ordeal of a trial. Instead, Aimee was referred to the NSPCC for therapeutic support.

She said: “It was so helpful to be able to talk to someone about what had happened and process my emotions. I felt very at ease, and I remember looking forward to going to the sessions.

“It was important for me to understand why I’d lost someone I’d loved and why I couldn’t see them anymore – and that what he’d done was wrong.”

When Aimee was 19, her grandfather was arrested for possessing indecent images of children, and she came forward and reported the abuse she had suffered again to the police.

She said: “It was a very painful experience remembering it all again. Once I gave my statement, it took three years for it to come to court. It was hard waiting for it to happen.”

Her grandfather admitted the abuse and was sentenced to nine years in prison.

Aimee shares her story through the NSPCC to support the charity and empower others to speak out about abuse.

She said: “I have run three half marathons for the NSPCC because I was grateful for the support I was given when I was eight and wanted to give back to the charity.

“I feel like it was crucial to processing what happened to me at such a young age.

“I’m now in a healthy and loving relationship planning a wedding, have my dream job, own a house with my fiancé, and I am in a really good place.

“During my most recent therapy I realised I’m ready to speak out and share my story on my own terms. I want to use my experiences for good and empower others and help people see that abuse does not have to define you.”