A 39-year-old woman has told a sickening story of how she was raped by her father right from when she was 7-years-old.
She spoke up after her father, Keith Whitworth, now aged 61 was arrested and jailed for 22 years.
Mandy Greenwood, from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, was abused by her dad who usually crept into her room at night started with a touch which quickly developed into something far more sinister, according to Metro UK.
She said, “My dad used to tell me he only did it because he loved me,’ said Mandy. ‘I was more like his wife than his daughter.
“I would cry myself to sleep each night. There was nobody for me to confide in. I felt so alone and so sad. I wasn’t close to my mum at all.
“Sometimes he would take me to the park – what seemed like a nice trip out – but he would abuse me then too.’
Out of desperation to get away from her father, Greenwood got pregnant at the age of 15 years old and had a daughter after which she had a son four years later.
Greenwood met her boyfriend identified only as Dave at the age of 20.
She said, “Dave was like a breath of fresh air. He was a real giggle.
“Dave was very supportive. I had a lot of problems sexually – I would sometimes freeze when he touched me, and after sex I would have to have a bath. I felt dirty and upset.
“But Dave was very patient and understanding.
“I tried to bury it all, and concentrate on my children. They brought me so much happiness. And Dave was my rock.
“But I could not forget the abuse. It was there, at the front of my mind, each day. I kept hearing his voice, in flashbacks.”
Greenwood finally decided to file a report of her father’s abuse to the police operatives in 2013.
The man was found guilty of 23 historic child sex offences, including rape, attempted rape, buggery, indecent assault and indecency against a child.
“Now he’s in jail the sense of freedom and relief is incredible. He can never hurt another child again,” she said.
