Davie is distressed that the man who abused him was left free to commit more offences
All names and identifying details have been changed.
Participants have given us permission to share their experiences.
Davie was interviewed by the police when he had injuries caused by an attempted rape.
But the abuser was not prosecuted and he went on to abuse other children.
When Davie was five years old, his uncle Joey began sexually abusing him. Joey was in his mid teens and the abuse began with what Davie thought was playing. ‘I thought he was being a caring uncle’ he says.
He became confused, as he began to realise that Joey was ‘putting his hands in places where they shouldn’t be’.
The abuse escalated to Joey taking his trousers down and making Davie touch his genitals. Joey told Davie not to say anything and told him that it was ‘between us’.
Soon after this, Joey was visiting Davie’s home and he came upstairs when Davie was in bed. Davie describes that Joey ‘did something to my bottom’. He remembers it was very painful and he screamed out. His parents came running upstairs and Joey fled the house, chased by Davie’s dad.
Davie was bleeding from his backside and his parents called the police. After that Davie was taken to hospital because of the bleeding.
However, Joey was not charged as the police felt that there was not enough evidence to prosecute him.
Ten years later, Joey was sent to prison for sexually abusing other children. The judge gave him a lesser sentence because he had pleaded guilty and he apparently had no history of sexual offending.
Davie feels strongly that the sexual abuse that he was subjected to by Joey was not taken seriously or investigated thoroughly. He is extremely troubled that this lack of action meant that Joey was able to offend again. He adds that even though he was a young child who had obviously suffered a very distressing ordeal, the police did not make any effort to look after him.
Davie wet the bed until he was about 11. His behaviour at school was challenging and he remembers that he saw a child psychologist. He left school at a young age.
He began drinking heavily as a young adult and has made numerous suicide attempts. He experiences flashbacks and night terrors, and finds it difficult to work.
When he was in his late 20s, Davie asked the police to reinvestigate the abuse Joey subjected him to, but was told they have no record of the previous investigation.
Davie finds it hard to understand how the police could have said there was not enough evidence to prosecute, given that he was bleeding from his anus. He feels strongly that the police should be more careful with their record keeping. He would also like to see more support available for victims and survivors of child sexual abuse.
Davie has had good support from a rehabilitation unit, his GP, a local church and his family. He is keen to move on with his life.