Secret trauma of Shropshire's abuse victims

For decades it has been the hidden problem, the subject nobody dared to talk about. But with the exposure of the Jimmy Savile scandal, as well as revelations of high-profile criminality including Operation Chalice in Telford and offences in Rotherham, an issue that was once hidden is now very much in the public consciousness.

• Axis Counselling provides support for all survivors of rape or sexual abuse across Shropshire, and has bases in Telford at the Glebe Centre, in Glebe Road, Wellington, and at Fletcher House in College Hill, Shrewsbury.

• It also provides a dedicated one-to-one rape counselling service, where victims can contact the charity in confidence and speak to experienced counsellors on the 0303 3000 121 helpline.

• Visit www.axiscounselling.org.uk

"We don't have to advertise," says Liza Morgan, who founded the Axis abuse support charity in 1993. At any one time, there will be 88 people in the county receiving therapy from the charity. Some are recent victims, others find the need to talk in later life, but one thing they all have in common is the trauma left behind by victims of abuse.

"Many of our clients are people in their 40s, 50s or even their 60s, who have finally found the courage to get help," she says.

The trauma of coping with sex abuse should not be underestimated. Last week a 17-year-old boy was sentenced to 14 months in custody by Shrewsbury Crown Court after having sex with a 12-year-old girl.

But while the girl's father said he believed the sentence passed by Judge Robin Onions was fair, he said his daughter continued to suffer some 12 months after the crime was committed.

He asked to speak to the Shropshire Star to highlight the emotional pain that lies behind a case like this.

He said his daughter was still traumatised by the crime and had been forced to move school after being subjected to bullying.

"Before the attack she was very bubbly and outgoing, now she's afraid to go out," he said.

"The only time she will go out now is to go down the shops with me."

The court was told the girl had agreed to have sex with the boy, but because she was aged under 13 she was not legally able to give consent. The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, admitted what had happened, and pleaded guilty to the rape of a girl under the age of 13 at his home in December last year.

The girl's father, who also cannot be named, said the family had been forced to move house as a result of the case. "We had girls banging on the window on a Saturday morning, and shouting abuse through the letterbox ," he says.

"She's had to move schools because she was getting bullied by a group of around 30 girls."

The father says his daughter was off school for two months following the incident, and had to have her school work sent home. "She feels like she has committed a crime, she has been made to feel like she has done something wrong," he says.

"But she is the victim. He knew full well she was 12, he admitted it."

The man said his daughter believed she was in a relationship with the boy, but he finished with her the day after they had sex.

The court heard the pair exchanged Facebook messages that were sexual but not graphic.

They arranged for the girl to sleep over at the boy's house while a parent was at home but the girl was not truthful to her family about where she was staying.

During the evening the pair slept together and the matter came to light after the girl told a friend.

The school nurse was informed and the police called and the boy, who is now 18, was arrested and questioned.

He admitted what had happened and a statement by the girl read in court on Friday last week said she also felt blame for breaking the law.

Judge Onions said the charge of rape of a child under 13 carried a sentence of eight to 13 years in prison, but he said in the circumstances it would be an injustice if he were to adhere to the sentencing guidelines for that offence.

Instead he referred to the sentencing guidelines for the charge of causing or inciting a child under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity. The boy was also ordered to register as a sex offender for 10 years.

Mrs Morgan says the important thing for any survivor of sexual abuse should be to contact Axis, or a similar counselling service, to get advice and therapy. "They should never feel guilt themselves," she says.

"It is never their fault. They do carry guilt, but they never should, the guilt belongs to the perpetrator."

Mrs Morgan, who previously worked as a psychosexual therapist in the county, says she decided to set up the charity after noticing how many of her patients came from abusive backgrounds. "There was nowhere for them to go for any help," she says.

"I used to keep telling my husband about the need for a support service, and eventually he said 'stop moaning about it and set one up yourself'."

She remembers how sceptical people were in the early days. "People said 'that sort of thing doesn't happen in Shropshire'," she says.

Axis now operates from two main bases, one at Fletcher House in College Hill, Shrewsbury, and another one at The Glebe Centre in Glebe Street, Wellington.

These days the charity receives support from outside bodies, including the office of the Police and Crime Commissioner. It has seen a steep increase in calls since the outbreak of the Savile scandal, and the jailing of television stars Rolf Harris and Stuart Hall for historical sex offences.

Axis's Wellington centre received 484 referrals during the first six months of 2014 alone, compared to just 427 for the whole of the 2011/12 financial year.

But Mrs Morgan, who was made an MBE for her work, believes this can only be a good thing, and says she would encourage anybody who has been abused in the past to call the Axis helpline.