'This man did not just abuse me as a child, he took so much more'

TRAUMATIC LEGACY OF SEX OFFENDER'S ACTIONS

- By MARTIN NAYLOR

A CHILD sexual abuse survivor found the strength to come forward as an adult and report what happened to her because of a storyline in Channel 4 drama Hollyoaks.

In a heartbreaking statement read out at Nottingham Crown Court, the now mother told how she “did not choose to be abused” by John Worsey and, after keeping silent for more than two decades, is “choosing to speak out for the little girl I used to be and every other victim who is yet to speak out for themselves”.

The 59-year-old defendant’s sentencing hearing was told he “established a bond” with the young girl and began molesting her, including having sex with her in his car “after pulling in somewhere quiet to park”.

He denied any of the offending took place, meaning she had to relive her ordeal more than 20 years later by giving evidence at a trial.