Not My Fault: A father's secret shame, a daughter's living hell

"What mattered was that someone listened to me. Someone believed me, after 25 years. That means everything." A mum of three who was abused and raped as a child by her own father has revealed her ordeal drove her into the clutches of middle-aged paedophiles. Trish Hinde, 35, was sexually abused by her father, Gerard King, from the age of six. Alone and scared, she internalised her trauma and began suffering from violent seizures. Her father took responsibility for her epilepsy care, even abusing her on hospital visits. Trish and her five siblings were neglected, often relying on neighbours for food and watching helplessly as bailiffs carried away their possessions. In her early teens, Trish was recklessly promiscuous and became a victim of child sexual exploitation, often finding herself in danger. She reported her childhood abuse many times, in letters to family members and social workers, in an essay she wrote at school, to a therapist and to NSPCC. But, despite her father being jailed for abusing another child, her complaint never went any further. Trish became suicidal and despairing. Her relationships seemed doomed because she had damaging flashbacks and seizures whenever she became intimate. But in 2015, she met her husband, Craig, and found true happiness. They had three children, Jacob, now six, Oscar, five and Jessica, three. But Trish was overly protective of her children and did not like her husband looking after their daughter. Realising her past history was damaging her marriage, she decided to go to the police. This time, at last, they listened. In April 2022, Gerard King, 59, was convicted of rape, indecent assault and indecency with a child at Chester Crown Court. Trish maintains the court case and conviction were not important to her.