Hull woman raped by man she trusted backs Humberside Police campaign

• Report by Emma Wilkinson

A woman from who was sexually abused as a child is spearheading a police campaign supporting fellow survivors.

Jamie's abuse started at the age of ten and culminated with her being raped by a man she trusted.

She has now waived her legal right to anonymity - but asked for her last name to be omitted from reports - to be part of the campaign with Humberside Police called 'Tell Someone'.She describes the trauma of abuse as "maggots under your skin eating away slowly at your flesh every day.”

Jamie, from East Yorkshire, told ITV News: "There was a lot of dysfunction in my childhood, which was perfect for a predator because I was already a vulnerable child."

Jamie said: "The language that he used was 'tickling', so if I go to somebody and say 'I don't like it when he tickles me', I sound silly. Putting words to things that you're not really taught about was difficult so I couldn't really talk about it.

"He was put into a position of trust, to help, and so he wanted to be seen as a knight in shining armour. And without the proper security and protection that any child deserves, I was easily accessible."

Last year Daniel Bottger, from Hull, was found guilty of eleven offences against four girls and jailed for 24 years. He had previously served around half of a 14-year sentence for the rape of a fifth girl.

Jamie said for a long time she carried a sense of guilt that her abuser had gone on to commit further crimes against children.

"I felt a great deal of responsibility, but that wasn't mine to carry," she said.

"I just wasn't ready to speak about what happened to me at that time, I was a child still. But the responsibility gets taken off the perpetrator and onto the victim."

Jamie's mental health deteriorated and she attempted to take her own life. Later, on a safe ward, she confided in a psychologist about the abuse.

She said: "When I was released from the safe ward, I spent another couple of years unpacking my emotions. And then I knew I needed to contact the police. I knew to properly resolve things, that is what I had to do.

"To listen to someone on the end of the call say 'This is terrible. Are you sitting down? Are you ok?' was the first time I'd been given the green light to talk and feel heard. It really anchored in me that I was innocent. It felt like bricks being taken off my back."

Detective Emma Andrew from Humberside Police said while the legal process can be lengthy, people who come forward to report sexual offences will receive support throughout.

"Even if they just want advice, or they want to know a process, or they want some support - we won't be any different if people say they don't want to do anything," she said.

"That's absolutely fine, because maybe they will at some point. So just pick up the phone and call."

Jamie says for other victims of abuse the "power is in your hands".

"I know it feels like a really dark hole that you're in, but this campaign, the things I'm saying, are the rope that you can climb up. The power is in your hands, and I think that's the most important thing - taking the power back."

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