‘I feel so guilty my friend was raped too’
Karen Danczuk’s brother Michael Burke was jailed last December for abusing her and her friend Stacey Green when they were children. Karen tells Closer she regrets not speaking out sooner – and Stacey breaks her silence for the first time
She’s the S former wife of ex-labour MP Simon Danczuk, and she shot to fame as the “selfie queen” after flaunting her cleavage in a string of revealing posts.
But Karen Danczuk made headlines for far more serious reasons in November 2014, when she revealed she’d been abused by her older brother Michael Burke, now 38.
Last December, Burke was convicted of eight rapes and a serious sexual assault against three victims, including Karen, between 1992 and 2010, and was jailed for 15 years.
While it was a huge relief to see her twisted brother finally face justice, Karen, 33, confesses she is still haunted by the guilt that she didn’t speak out sooner.
Burke’s girlfriend, Stacey Green, was one of the other victims he raped, and Karen – who has one sister and two other brothers – believes if she’d raised the alarm earlier, he may not have attacked Stacey.
The two have grown close, and Karen – who has sons Milton, nine, and Maurice, seven – is speaking out with Stacey to raise awareness about sexual abuse.
‘a monster’
Karen says: “My brother destroyed my childhood – he began raping me when I was 11. My education suffered and I’ve battled anxiety and depression since the abuse. At times I even felt suicidal.
“Michael met Stacey when I was 12 and he left me alone. I was relieved but, looking back, I wish I’d told someone; I could have stopped him from hurting other women.”
Mum-of-four Stacey, 34, from Middleton, Manchester – who has also waived her anonymity– started dating Michael, then 17, when she was just 12. Both sets of parents believed they were just friends as the pair lied about the nature of their relationship.
Stacey says: “Michael is an evil monster and a paedophile. He raped me repeatedly during our three-year relationship. I don’t blame Karen for not speaking out sooner, but I’m glad she has. If she hadn’t done it, I wouldn’t have had the courage to say anything. Now we’re moving forward with our lives.”
Shockingly, Burke started abusing Karen when she was just six. Karen recalls: “He’d play games with me, like hide and seek, then make me get into his bed. At first, he’d just lie on top of me – naked. I knew something was wrong but I didn’t understand.”
By the time Karen was 11, Burke had started raping her. She says: “At night he’d come into my bedroom and force himself on me. I was confused and too scared to tell anyone – I thought they wouldn’t believe me.”
In 1994, Burke met Stacey through his other sister, who was friends with the 12-year-old.
Karen says: “I was relieved he’d turned his attention to someone else. I thought he might treat Stacey better.”
But for Stacey, her ordeal was just beginning. She explains: “I met Michael at the park one day and thought he was good-looking and charming. I was flattered by his attention and didn’t realise he was five years older than me.
“We started dating and I thought I was falling in love. It was all innocent in the beginning. My parents – and his – believed we were just friends as we hid our feelings for each other. And on the occasions where I stayed over at his house, I said it was to spend time with his sister.”
But just four months later, the abuse started.
YOUNG AND NAIVE
Stacey – who now lives with her partner and their children – says: “One evening, when I was staying over at Michael’s on the camp bed in the living room, he got in beside me and raped me. I’d never had sex before and was terrified, but Michael told me that’s what girls did with their boyfriends.
“He chipped away at my confidence and told me I was disgusting and fat, so no one would want me.
“Michael moved into his own flat 18 months later and the abuse worsened. I’d visit him, but lie to my parents about where I was. I was so young – I had no idea what a real relationship was.”
But Stacey found the strength to leave Michael three years later, when she was 15. She recalls: “After one particularly bad assault, I decided I couldn’t live like this any more. I told him it was over and walked out. He was in shock and thought I would take him back. For months, Michael followed me around, begging for another chance. My dad was a big guy so, luckily, that scared him off and he soon met another girl.”
Meanwhile, Karen was bottling up her feelings over the abuse. She says: “I married Simon in 2012 and we had our two kids – but deep down I was so unhappy. My first sexual experience was with my brother and I didn’t know how to behave in a relationship. I started making a name for myself in the media, posing for selfies, as I thought it would help me gain confidence – but it was just a front.”
In November 2014, Karen decided she couldn’t cope with her feelings any longer. She recalls: “I’d had counselling but nothing was helping – I needed my brother to face justice. I told my dad, who was shocked but supported me.
“I then went to the press – I know it sounds strange, but it felt easier talking to a journalist than the police.
“I don’t have any contact with my mum, but I later read in the press that she was standing by my brother, which was upsetting.”
SURVIVORS
Burke was finally arrested when Stacey went to the police after reading Karen’s story. Stacey says: “I couldn’t believe he’d abused Karen, too. I called her and told her I was going to tell the police. We both cried together.”
Karen and Stacey gave evidence along with a third victim who has chosen to remain anonymous. Burke was charged in 2015. He denied the crimes, but was found guilty and sentenced to 15 years.
Since then, Karen – who is in a new relationship with Spanish boyfriend David – and Stacey have forged a strong bond.
Karen says: “I feel so guilty that Stacey was attacked too. We’ve both been through something terrible that only we can really understand. If we’re having a bad day, we’ll call each other.”
Stacey adds: “I’m glad Michael’s paying for what he did. I want to tell other abuse victims to speak out. We’re proof that you can survive.”
❛we’ve both been through something terrible that only we can really understand❜