A BRAVE man and a woman who finally reported the callous abuser who subjected them to sexually motivated assaults in their childhood have spoken out after he was sentenced - seven years after their campaign for justice began.
Darton man Harry Spacey, 71, was jailed last month following a ten-day trial which found him guilty of 12 charges of historic sexual abuse which were committed in the early 1970s against four victims aged between six and eight.
Although abuse victims are granted automatic anonymity, two of his four targets have chosen to speak out in the hope of encouraging other survivors to come forward.
Spacey’s reign of terror spanned two countries - England and Scotland - where he targeted one girl and three boys, who were all brothers, aged between six and eight.
Although the Scottish brothers did not discuss the abuse each of them endured, it wasn’t until a chance phone call from the woman that they all shared their stories together.
Encouraged by their partners to inform the police, they bravely spoke out in 2018 in an attempt to bring their attacker to justice.
Two cases were launched - one by one of the brothers who was abused in Scotland and another locally involving everyone - and when the Crown Prosecution Service opted to charge Spacey years later, his denial pushed the victims to re-tell their harrowing stories in court and in their victim impact statements.
Spacey was finally sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court on September 12, where he was handed a six-and-a-half year sentence.
He was previously given a four-year term in Scotland for crimes committed against one boy, meaning his total sentence was ten-and-a-half years in prison.
However, one of the brothers had died by that time - which they believe was down to alcohol abuse borne from Spacey’s torment - so he never lived to see his attacker be finally jailed.
The female victim told the Chronicle: “We’ve had to endure this for all our lives - I was a little girl when I was touched by him and although I do remember telling family members at the time, it was just hushed up until we made contact with each other in 2018.
“It started with a phone call - my partner encouraged me to finally reach out and it wasn’t until then that I learned about the abuse he had put the boys through, too.
“I was scared of coming forward and it’s not a cliche to say that I hope that this encourages any other abuse survivors to come forward - no matter how long ago it occurred - because it proves justice can prevail.
“He ruined our lives and made our childhoods abnormal and fearful.
“The memories are just so vivid.
“It’s like it was yesterday - I could go six months without thinking about it, but then something triggers it.
“The fact remains that it’s never too late to speak out - I’ve carried this with me for 52 years, so come forward and talk.”
One of the brothers, who still lives in Scotland, added: “He showed no remorse and has never admitted his guilt - what he did made me anxious, I ran away from school, and it’s had a huge impact of how I developed in my adult life.
“My brother, who died, had a serious drink issue and I believe he turned to that because of what he went through.
“He’s been allowed to live his life without stigma but our efforts now mean justice has finally been served.”
There is help on offer for anyone who is experiencing similar types of sexual abuse.
Call 999 if you or someone you know is in immediate danger from domestic abuse or sexual violence or call 101 if you want to report something that’s happened or seek advice.
