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I grew
up on an estate on the edge of Leeds. I spent 15 years of my life
there. Mum tried to keep us safe and we were kept mainly in our
garden.
Arrested
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"When
we got home, the phone rang. It was the Social Services, saying
they were coming round
to remove me
and
my sister".
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In
April 1986, my dad was arrested. He made a statement confessing
to abusing my two younger sisters. He was imprisoned for two years.
I knew for certain that my dad never did anything. My belief is
that he was pressured into making the statement.
I'll
never forget that day as long as I live. We finished school as normal.
My sister and I were supposed to be going to the infants' school
to pick up the younger ones, but mum said they weren't there. It
was like they'd disappeared off the face of the earth.
Social
Services
When
we got home, the phone rang. It was the Social Services, saying
they were coming round to remove me and my sister. I remember mum's
face. She's a tough nut, but she was terrified.
My
new life
When
I was 17, I left home. That's when life started. I now have my own
flat, a job, two cats, and friends I can trust. I'm still single.
I'm not sure if I can make a relationship work. I feel as if I have
built a wall around myself. I push people away. I'm nearly 30 now
and I'm still trying to put the pieces back together.
But
I have this: my own place, a job, and friends. I suppose that's
my message. I've been so hungry that I have scavenged out of bins,
but at the end of the day I've made it. There's light at the end
of the tunnel!
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