BRAVE VICTIM REACHES OUT TO TELL OF HISTORIC SEXUAL OFFENCES
Under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, the listed matters relate to multiple serious sexual offences involving children.Specifically, they include: Dean Reynolds was convicted of repeated offences of an offender aged 18 or over engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a girl aged 13 to 15 x5.
His brave victim has told her story to us in the hope that it helps other people to reach out and raise awareness.
“I child when the offences against me occurred.
I am now an adult, living with the long-term effects of what was done to me.
This case began during the COVID period and has taken several years to reach a guilty verdict.
I am one of several victims, and I am the only one whose case resulted in a conviction.
While I am grateful to have been heard, this process has been long and deeply distressing.
My childhood was taken from me.
My innocence was stolen, and I was forced to grow up with the consequences of someone else’s actions.
The harm did not end when the abuse stopped — it has followed me into adulthood and continues to affect my emotional wellbeing, sense of safety, and ability to trust others.
Throughout this process, I have faced additional trauma.
Members of the offender’s family have given me hostile looks and made me feel unsafe for speaking out.
During some of my most vulnerable moments, I felt isolated and unsupported.
I was also unable to access certain support services because the case was active.
I was legally restricted from speaking about what had happened to me, as doing so could have resulted in further court proceedings.
This left me without appropriate help at a time when I needed it most.
I am now nearly 30 years old.
I was a child when this happened, and I am now an adult carrying the damage caused by these crimes.
Although I was eventually heard, believed, and seen, the impact of what I experienced will stay with me for the rest of my life.
I did not choose what happened to me.
I did choose to speak the truth.
I hope this court understands the seriousness of the harm caused and the lifelong effect these actions have had on me.”
