I am writing this on behalf of my girlfriend, who has survived something no child should ever have to endure, and who has spent much of her life fighting to be believed, listened to, and taken seriously instead of living. And she still is fighting.

She was sexually abused and raped as a child between ages 7-14, and first reported what had happened to her in 2017 at 14. At that time, the response she received from the police was deeply damaging and awful. Key investigative opportunities were missed, vital digital evidence was not examined, and as a result, her case was not handled in the way it should have been and he got away with it.

For a long time, she carried this pain alone. She was not believed by people around her, including those closest to her, and was left feeling isolated at a time when she needed support the most. That rejection and disbelief caused a second layer of trauma that stayed with her through her most important years of growing up and is still prevalent now.

In 2022, the perpetrator was rearrested for other offences related to children. Her case was reopened, the police admitted they didn’t check any devices at the time when vital evidence was on them, and the truth she had been trying to express for so long was finally proven as she found that evidence herself that had been there all along. The perpetrator was ultimately convicted on 7 different counts in June 2025 and sentenced for 6 years and to be on the sex offenders register for life. While this brought a form of justice, it also forced her to relive everything again, reopening wounds that had never truly healed, and bringing back memories and emotions that had been buried just to survive. And it isn’t enough for what she experienced either.

Although there has now been a legal outcome, the damage caused by the years of being ignored, disbelieved, and left without proper support has had a lasting impact on her mental health, her sense of safety, and her ability to move forward without pain. It has also meant she has never experienced stability. The police are refusing to compensate her for the damages they have caused her for not investigating properly. So this also

means for them to face any repercussions for their actions, she will have to fight them in court.

She is now trying to rebuild her life from the ground up. This means trying to heal from trauma that has followed her into adulthood which is extremely hard, accessing therapy and support that is often difficult to afford and even reach, and learning how to feel safe in the world again after so many years of harm and instability.

This fundraiser is to help her access the support she needs to recover properly, including private therapy and mental health care, as well as being able to make the police face their actions rather than get away with it due to limitation. And to give her the chance to rebuild a stable and peaceful life after everything she has been through. No amount of money can undo what happened, or the years she lost to silence and disbelief, or how it’s affected her, but it can help her finally begin to heal with the right support around her and find love for life and experience the happiness life has to offer too.

If you have read this far, thank you. And if you are able to donate or share, it means more than words can express.