Woman abused by her dad from the age of 6 was ignored for 20 years
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A mother of three has revealed how her father raped and sexually abused her as a child.
Trish Hinde, 34, from Manchester, was just six years old when her father, Gerard King, 59, began his three-year campaign of abuse against her.
Despite Trish developing epilepsy and having seizures, King attacked her at the family home and even on her way to medical appointments.
Over the years, Trish spoke to loved ones, schoolteachers, social workers, therapists and anti-sexual abuse charities, but was sadly disappointed each time over the course of nearly 20 years.
Trish Hinde, 34, (pictured) has revealed how her father raped and sexually abused her when she was just six years old.
Gerard King, 59, (pictured) was finally convicted in April this year and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
In April of this year, King was finally found guilty of the abuse and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Trish, who works as a complaints processor, said: “When I was young, I lived with a monster who abused me every chance he got.
‘For years, I have been trying to introduce myself, but many organizations let me down.
“Now, at 34, I finally have justice and can move on with my life.”
In 1994, when Trish was six years old, her mother worked various jobs during the day and her father worked as a security guard at night.
Trish said, ‘Mom would be gone when I got up for school, so I was alone with Dad for a long time.
Trish (pictured as a six year old) explained how her father started abusing her when she was six and it lasted for three years.
‘One morning, Dad called me from his bedroom and asked me to get into bed with him.
Afterwards, he made me swear on the life of Mom that I wouldn’t tell anyone. He was scared and confused.
“The next morning, it happened again, but this time he made me take my clothes off and he touched me.”
From then on, King forced Trish to perform degrading sexual acts in the house.
Terrified, she would regularly sneak out of the house or hide in closets to avoid her father.
Trish said: ‘I developed asthma and started having seizures. I was diagnosed with epilepsy.
But that didn’t stop dad. He abused me in the car to and from my medical appointments.
Trish, from Manchester, said she didn’t understand what was happening, she was too terrified to say anything as her father made her swear on her mother’s life.
My life was hell.
The following year, when Trish was seven years old, King raped her in the living room.
Trish said: ‘I cried in pain and he checked me out after any damage. He then told me not to tell anyone or he would go to jail.
“Once again, he made me swear on mom’s life, so I thought if I told anyone, mom would die.
‘I also thought that if dad went to prison, there would be no one to take care of me. So I stayed silent.
King’s campaign of terror against Trish continued until she was nine years old, when he disappeared after he and Trish’s mother separated.
Trish pictured with her husband Craig Hinde, explained how she wrote a letter to her mother and explored various avenues to convict her father, but nothing ever came of it.
By then, the damage had been done and Trish’s seizures increased and she was constantly wetting the bed.
Years later, in 2001, Trish had her first sex education class in school and realized that she had been abused.
Trish said: “I longed to tell someone, so when I was 13 I wrote my life story detailing all the abuse for an English essay at school.”
‘But I didn’t hear from my master about it.
“The following year, I wrote a long letter to my mother about what Dad put me through and gave it to her.
She read and cried. She couldn’t believe it.
‘Mom gave the letter to a social worker. But the social workers did nothing with the letter and soon forgot about it.
Trish developed asthma and had seizures as a child because she had been so traumatized.
“As I got older, I drank and was suicidal.
‘When I met my first serious boyfriend and we had sex, I had a seizure.
“I suspected my seizures were directly related to the trauma of Dad’s abuse, so I saw a therapist and told him.
“She said she would talk to her supervisor, but just like before, nothing happened.”
Trish eventually met financial crime operations manager Craig Hinde, 37, they were married and had three children.
Trish said: ‘Craig supported me when I felt ready to call the historic child abuse helpline, NSPCC.
I told them everything and with my permission they sent a report to the police.
But nothing came back. It was heartbreaking.
Not long after, Trish found out that her father worked as a trucker in Manchester.
Unable to live in fear any longer, she found the courage to contact Greater Manchester Police in July 2020.
Trish eventually met financial crime operations manager Craig Hinde, 37, they were married and had three children.
Trish explained, “Because I’ve been let down before, I didn’t expect anything to come of it.
‘However, the officer not only listened to me, but supported me through the process while giving statements. He was surprised.
“I told him about the letter I had written to my mother and given to a social worker when I was 13 years old.
He called me days later and told me that he had traced the letter and that it could be used as evidence. She couldn’t believe it.
The following year, in 2021, King was arrested and charged with abusing his daughter.
In April 2022, Gerard King, 59, of Bury, Greater Manchester, was found guilty of one count of rape, five counts of indecent assault and two counts of indecency with a child against Trish at Chester Crown Court.
He was sentenced to 16 years.
Trish said: ‘During the trial, it was the first time I’d seen my father in 25 years. I was shaking.
“Being on the stand and telling every detail to the jury was horrible.
“But after hearing the word guilty and his sentence, I was very happy that justice was finally done.
Now I’m just trying to be the best mom I can be and give my kids the childhood I never had.
‘If you have also been abused, please do not stop reporting it. He will be believed and justice will be served.