‘When I tell story and out I was a woman,

A WOMAN who was indecently assaulted as a child has told of how a chance encounter with her abuser in Primark led to her finally bringing her to justice.

In the 1990s, Marri Dugdale abused the young girl in the Newton Aycliffe area when she herself was only a teenager and left her terrified by threats to prevent her from reporting what was happening. But the brave girl did report the abuse, and Dugdale was questioned at the time.

However, the victim’s parent would not allow her to undergo medical examinations and did not want her to have to go to court at such a young age, so the police had no option but to drop the case.

Years went by and Dugdale went on to raise a family, but her crimes had a lasting impact on her victim who struggled with her mental health and “went off the rails” in her teenage years. Then, in 2020, the victim crossed paths with Dugdale by chance in a Darlington Primark and it triggered memories of her abuse.

Speaking to The Sunday Sun, the woman, who wants to remain anonymous, said: “I had tried to get on with my life and when I was a teenager I really did go off the rails. Then I had a child in my 20s and I tried so hard to move past it.

“Then one day, my partner and I were in Primark in Darlington and she walked straight past us. After that, after not seeing her for so long, the affect was unbelievable. My mental health was so bad, and I told my partner ‘I need to do something about this,’ and it was always in the back of my mind that she could have done this to someone else. I was so worried.”

Dugdale was then questioned again, but facing the historic allegations she decided to try and pervert the course of justice by making “false allegations” to the police. The court heard a subsequent police investigation quickly found the allegations were “malicious” and made up by Dugdale. She later admitted attempting to pervert the court of justice.

After being found guilty of indecent assault and inciting a child to engage in gross indecency following a trial, Dugdale’s sentencing was marred by delays. But on Wednesday, she finally appeared at Durham Crown Court, via link from HMP Low Newton where she was jailed for four years.

“I’m actually really happy about the outcome”, the woman said, “A part of me was really worried that she would somehow get away with it.

“I’ve waited that long for her to be sentenced. It was a really surreal moment for me. It was sort of bittersweet that she’s gone to prison, obviously, I’m over the moon that I finally got justice, but I also feel sorry for her children.

“She’s destroyed so many lives.” She added: “It’s a huge day for me, I’m glad she’s getting some sort of karma.”

Speaking of when Dugdale evaded justice in the 1990s, the woman said it went on to cause a “rift” between her and her mother, but she now takes a more understanding approach. She said: “Now I’m an adult, I can look back and understand where she was coming from.”

She also wants people to understand that women can also be sex offenders, saying: “When I tell people my story and they find out I was abused by a woman, they’re shocked that a woman could do such things, and it winds me up. I’ve had people say, ‘oh it must have been a mistake,’ or ‘was she not experimenting?.’

“That’s why I want to tell my story, I feel like people only presume men can be sex offenders, but it’s women as well.”

Dugdale’s prison sentence has also brought closure to her victim, who is now pregnant with her second child and is moving on with her life. She said: “I’m in the last year of university, so I’m looking forward to getting that out of the way. I want to use this experience as a positive and work with children who have been through trauma as well. That’s why I’m training to be a social worker.”

As well as a four-year prison sentence, Dugdale, 41, of Hawthorne Road, Spennymoor, will also be on the sex offender’s register for life and a lifetime restraining order was imposed.