A year on

Warrior1

It’s hard to believe a year has passed since the trial. A year today he was sentenced to 16 years. I still can’t believe we did it. I did it. If it wasn’t for me starting this, he wouldn’t be in prison.

And he is in prison. I feel the safest I have EVER felt. I sometimes forget and then I remember. I think back to the day in court, that day I first saw him. Him looking up at us in the public gallery, and me glaring back at him. I did not take my eyes off him, until he looked away. I’m proud of myself. Little me is proud. We did it. We are safe. I feel stronger, more confident. I survived the hardest experience of my life. I listen to my court play list and enjoy it knowing it’s over and he is safely locked away.

I still feel driven to do so much. There are so many things that need to change. If I can use our experiences to make changes for the better then I will do it.

This year we have set up a phone scheme and donated a large number of second hand phones to The Women’s and Girls Network to be used to women who caught up in the criminal justice system.

We have begun to campaign to change the law around Double Jeopardy. We will continue to do this.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07vpz44

We have undertaken a number of interviews to get his name and face out there. I want everyone to know who he is and what he did.

https://warriorwomen.org.uk/news/

I am enjoying making the most out my life. During the really hot summer I continually thought “what a terrible day to be stuck inside”. Prisoners get at the most an hour out of their cell a day.

I discovered that in prison you have to wear prison clothes, including prison pants. There is no dignity there. We like to think that they are communal prison pants.

I enjoyed the thought of him missing out on Christmas and New Year celebrations.

When Richard Huckle was murdered in his prison cell, I thought I hope he has seen this and is terrified. It is what he deserves.

We are getting on with our lives. But the impact continues. We are getting help to finally process what we went through. Finally now the trial is over we can get the help we need.

I will do what it takes to get his name out there. This post has been viewed over 6k times:

There will be other survivors out there. Many many more. He had links to the music industry and I suspect he used them to groom. He was convicted of offending over a 30 year period. I believe his offending began before us and only stopped when he was sent to prison. He used to go to raves. Pathetic. But now I realise he would have been surrounded by women unable to consent.

If you were a victim of child sexual abuse by Mike Murphy or anyone else you can get justice how ever long ago it was. For us it was 35 years plus. The police WILL believe you, it is not too late. You don’t have to see him, ever. It was hard. The hardest thing I ever did. But I never regretted it once. I had to try everything I could. Whatever happened I hadn’t kept his secret. I will never keep his secret ever again.

It feels so liberating being able to be me, all of me. I no longer have to hide anymore. I am walking taller.

I urge any other survivors to consider coming forward and reporting what happened. If you need to think about it, and talk it though, then please consider calling rape crisis and ask to speak to an ISVA. You can also call the sexual violence helpline. Both numbers are here:

https://warriorwomen.org.uk/useful-resources/

You don’t have to do this alone. There are people out there who can support you.

Although he got 16 years in prison, he can first apply for parole in 7 years from now. He can apply every year. He is dangerous and needs to stay there. I want him to die in there. That is the only way we can be sure he will no longer be a danger to children.

I do not think about him every minute of the day. His actions continue to impact on my every day. I am at the beginning of my journey of healing. People said at the end of the trial that now I could “move on” or “get closure”. I don’t believe that it is possible. But I do believe it is possible to live a full and happy life in-spite of what I was put through. Now he has a small life confined to his cell, I feel it’s my duty to live the fullest life possible.