ABUSE SURVIVOR SPEAKS OF ORDEAL AT HANDS OF STEPBROTHER AND HIS FRIEND WHEN SHE WAS FIVE
A mother has encouraged victims of past child sexual abuse to assert themselves and report their abusers, calling them 'monsters' who have impacted their lives.Sara Potter chose to forgo her right to remain anonymous to share her distressing experience, highlighting how her family was shattered by abuse.
She spoke out following the conclusion of her case in court.
A man from County Antrim sexually abused her when she was only five years old.
Philip Hall, a resident of Meadowvale in Ballymena, admitted to the offense.
He is 51 years old and committed the crime when he was just 14.
The judge at Antrim Crown Court explained that because of his age at the time, the court lacked the authority to sentence him to prison.
This was due to legal restrictions in place during the late 1980s.
For Sara, seeing Hall serve a sentence was less important than achieving justice.
‘’We were able to get justice.
You can get justice.
Take back control.
Don't let the monsters carry the control.
Speak out.
Hand all the shame back onto them,’’ she stated.
Hall was a friend of her stepbrother, Dennis Allen.
Last year, Allen was convicted and imprisoned for a series of severe abuse cases involving Sara and her brother Gordon.
It was revealed that Allen initially raped Sara in her bedroom before Hall assaulted her.
‘’I knew it wasn't right.
I was too scared to say anything about it.
You just retreat into yourself.
You just want it to be over,’’ Sara recounted.
In addition to his probation, Hall was required to register as a sex offender for five years.
