FRANCIS ALLEN FROM TADDINGTON SENTENCED IN DERBY FOR SEXUAL ABUSE CASE

In a significant victory for justice, Francis Allen, a 43-year-old man from Main Street in Taddington, has been sentenced to seven years in prison after being convicted of eight counts of indecent assault. The case, which garnered considerable attention, was the result of a courageous effort by two sisters who endured years of sexual abuse at the hands of their older brother, Allen.

These sisters, who have chosen to remain anonymous to protect their privacy, publicly shared their harrowing story to shed light on the pervasive issue of childhood sexual abuse. Their decision to speak out was driven by a desire to encourage other victims to come forward and to warn potential offenders that their crimes will not remain hidden forever.

The abuse reportedly began in 1989 when the sisters were only eight years old. At that time, Allen was in his early twenties. Over a period of four years, he systematically subjected his sisters to a series of vile and traumatic acts within their family home on Main Street in Taddington. The emotional and psychological scars inflicted during this period have had lasting effects on the victims.

Following a lengthy investigation and trial at Derby Crown Court, Allen was found guilty of the charges. The court also disqualified him from working with children and mandated that he sign the sex offenders’ register indefinitely. These measures aim to prevent any further harm and to monitor his activities moving forward.

One of the sisters, who continues to reside in Taddington, explained that her decision to report Allen was prompted by a confrontation in the village last year. She recounted, “We’d told people in confidence at various stages throughout our lives. It all finally came to a head one day and we decided we’d had enough. We kept trying to bury it but it wouldn’t be buried. I’d convinced myself I was protecting everybody (by not going to the police). I thought I was protecting myself by keeping it secret. I thought I was protecting my parents. I thought I was protecting my sister. In that moment I realised that the only person I was protecting was him. He didn’t deserve that protection and I kick myself for not realising it earlier.”

Despite Allen’s pleas of not guilty, the sisters were compelled to relive their painful experiences during the court proceedings as they provided evidence against him. Now that justice has been served, they are determined to raise awareness about the prevalence of sexual abuse and to support other victims.

They emphasized that such abuse is more common than many people realize, citing statistics that indicate one in four women and one in eight men are affected by sexual violence. Their message is clear: society must do more to recognize, prevent, and address childhood sexual abuse.

The sisters issued a heartfelt plea to the community, educators, and families: “If one in four women were having their houses broken into, there would be public uproar. But because it’s sexual abuse, we like to think it doesn’t happen. You are always taught from being a child that it is a stranger who will drag you off down an alleyway (and hurt you), but it is more likely to be a member of your family or somebody you trust. We need to realize that this does happen. It’s very much a taboo subject. People just don’t talk about it. Unless people start to talk about it then it will continue to happen because offenders will continue to get away with it.”

They also drew parallels with the progress made in addressing domestic violence, urging society to treat childhood sexual abuse with similar openness and seriousness. “We’d really like to see the same for childhood sexual abuse, for people not to feel ashamed to talk about it and for people to recognize that it does happen in all walks of life,” they said.

To protect children, they stressed the importance of awareness and education. “The way to protect children from this is to make them aware, and make them aware that it is wrong. Then, if it did happen, they would feel more able to come forward about it. I know it’s not a nice thing for any child to know, but if it makes a paedophile think twice then good. If somebody is sitting there thinking about abusing children or is abusing children, we want to make them realize that that frightened little child one day is going to become an adult, and that adult will have a voice, and like us, they may decide to use it. If it makes one person think twice then it is worth it.”

They concluded with a powerful message: “Tell someone. Speak out because your silence is only protecting the offender. It is never, ever the victim’s fault. And it is never too late to come forward. We tried to bury it but it kept on rearing its ugly head. We’ve sat in the shadows long enough, we do not intend to sit there any longer. If one person finds the strength to come forward from reading this article then some good has come out of this harrowing ordeal.”

In a statement, a police spokeswoman praised the victims for their bravery, saying, “We would like to praise the victims involved in this case for their bravery in coming forward and speaking to the police. This has led to the offender being brought to justice and receiving a lengthy sentence. We hope that this case gives other victims the strength to come forward and report similar incidents to the police.”