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'It's never too late to speak out'

Exclusive by Katherine Vine
29/ 8/2008

A COURAGEOUS woman from Sale says she has finally got justice after a man was jailed for indecently assaulting her over 20 years ago.

Julia Stansfield, of Westbury Avenue, said she decided to waive her legal right to anonymity and tell her story to show it is never too late for abuse victims to speak out.

On Tuesday, August 19, Gareth Hey, 45, of Hoyle Court Avenue, Baildon, near Bradford, was jailed at Leeds Crown Court for 12 months and ordered to register as a sex offender for 10 years.

Speaking this week Julia, 37, said: "The most important thing to me was to have an admission of guilt. Right from when I first went to the police, the important thing was not the sentence – it was him having to stand up in court and admit that something did happen.

"And also to let others know that it is never too late to get justice."

In court, Hey admitted three charges of indecent assault and three of indecency with a child relating to offences that began in 1983 when Julia was 12 and Hey was 20, ending two years later.

His Honour Judge Ian Dobkin said he had taken into account Hey’s "impeccable" life since, including various charity fundraising efforts, but said the offences were serious and could not be overlooked. He said: "I cannot allow the impression to remain that if you avoid justice for a number of years you effectively get away with it.

"These are serious offences – a person must not be allowed to avoid prison because it has not come to light sooner."

Prosecuting, Sarah Barlow said Julia had suffered flashbacks and her relationships with men had been affected. Defence barrister Michelle Colborne said the offences involved sexual experimentation between teenagers many years ago.

This week, Julia told the Metro News how she first reported the offences to the police in April 2007, having sought counselling after suffering a breakdown in 2005.

She said: "With my therapist I did a lot of work around feelings of shame. To me it was a big dirty secret and I felt ashamed and guilty – I felt like I should have done something about it."

Julia joined the RAF when she was 17 and worked as an engineer for eight years. She then trained as a surgical practitioner, but resigned after her breakdown.

Until she went to the police she had not told her family about the abuse, but she says they have been very supportive, as have her partner and close friends, her GP and the police. She said: "I have had so much love and support. The police have been fantastic, very understanding and supportive, and have always kept me updated with what is going on.

"It was difficult having to relive it all over again, especially in such detail, as I was having to tell them stuff I had never even said out loud before.

"Growing up, what happened definitely affected me with regards to trusting people and, as I got older, developing relationships.

"I have suffered other traumas – when I was 12, while the abuse was going on, my father died of cancer. Looking back over my adult life, I have suffered with bouts of depression, but I have still been able to function and just get on with things."

In September 2005, two months before her breakdown, she completed the Marathon of Britain – which involves running 175 miles over five days – for the Genesis Appeal.

She said: "It totally squashed any barriers I had put up. I don’t really know what made me want to do something so extreme, or whether it was related to my depression, but I did manage to raise over £3,000, so that made it worth it."

Julia says she now feels more able to move on. She said: "I do feel relieved now it is over – it has been quite a stressful thing over the last 18 months. Now I need to think about my recovery, but I am feeling more positive about the future."