MAN WHO GROOMED A FOSTER CHILD HAS BEEN SENTENCED
John Worsey groomed the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons and wants to be known as a survivor instead of a victim, said Stephen Kemp, prosecuting.She had “been on the brink of coming forward many times,” he said, but only a storyline on the TV soap Hollyoaks convinced her she could go through with it, and she finally contacted police in 2017.
"He stole my childhood, my safety, and a part of me that I can never get back,” the survivor said in a statement.
“The abuse lives on inside me in the way I see and feel, and the way I see the world.” She said she suffers from flashbacks and nightmares that “come out of nowhere” and has been prescribed medication.
But her body feels like it is “stuck in survival mode,” and she struggles with food, sleep and trust.
“I spent years trying to piece myself together with therapy, doing whatever I could to survive,” she said.
“All the while he lived freely and had a life while mine was falling apart.” Nottingham Crown Court heard Worsey, now 59, of Eastwood, also put her through a long ordeal by denying all charges.
He was finally convicted of all 13 counts of sexual activity and indecent assaults on a child, following a third trial in January this year.
“I want people to know the truth of what it means to survive something like this,” she said.
“I did not choose this pain, but I do choose to speak out.
I am still here and that is what matters.” Tom Godfrey, mitigating, said Worsey has no previous convictions and hasn't offended since.
He quoted references from his family and friends who have known him throughout his life describing him as "gentle," "considerate," and "decent.” "You gained her trust and took advantage of her insecurity,” Recorder Stuart Sprawson told him “You left her with a distorted view of her life and relationships.
She now leads a life blighted by you and your exploitation of her." Worsey was jailed for 19 years and will serve two thirds in custody.
