Dad forced me to be A CHILD BRIDE

Abused, and groomed, Brittany Bee, 29, is determined that no one experiences the same horror

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Standing in front of my family, my husband-to-be and I exchanged rings, then signed a marriage licence. But this was no normal wedding. The ceremony was taking place in our living room, I was wearing jeans and a T-shirt, and I was terrified. Afterwards, with my belongings shoved into boxes, my new husband Peter*, then 24, drove me to an empty parking lot and raped me, saying: 'Legally, you belong to me now.'

Aged just 17, I was a child bride, forced to marry a man who had groomed, abused and manipulated me since I was 13. While the legal age for marriage in England and Wales is 18, it's just 16 in 80% of US states - despite the fact that in many of them, you're not classed as a legal adult who can vote or drink alcohol until the age of 21.

Growing up in a military family, my childhood had never been particularly 'normal'. We moved every two years, before settling in Colorado when I was 10, in a male-dominated, fundamentalist religious community, where it was common for younger girls to be married to much older men.

My upbringing with my father, stepmother and nine siblings was so sheltered and secluded, I knew nothing of the outside world. We were only allowed to watch religious cartoons once a week, and use a communal computer where everybody could see what was on the screen.

We were also taught to be fearful of the outside world and weren't allowed to have vaccinations or medical treatment from outside our community.

Fateful encounter

I first met Peter at 13 when I was visiting my mum, who lived in another state. He was 20 years old and a friend of the family. He told me about a messaging app for iPods, and I downloaded it to keep in contact with my mum and cousin.