A South Shields victim of child sex abuse breaks her silence

A South Shields woman who was subjected to years of sexual abuse by a family member that she thought she could trust has spoken out in a bid to encourage other victims to seek help from the police.

Belinda Nolan was abused by her cousin Richard Watkins, over a 7 year period which she describes as an awful part of her life:

"He used to come into my room on a night time and sexually abuse me. Up until the age of about 10, I thought it was just a bad dream but I started thinking nobody would have such an awful dream unless something bad like that had really happened"

Belinda say's she is no longer suffering in silence after reporting her abuser to Northumbria Police, who she has praised for being so supportive and helpful. With their help, 29 year old Richard Watkins is spending the next 6 years behind bars.

DCI Shelley Hudson is from the police's safeguarding department, she had this message for victims of sex abuse right here in the North East :

"They will be believed and they will be helped. Belinda is an incredibly strong and courageous young woman, and if her story helps even one person in a similar situation, then i'll be a very happy officer"

DC Michelle Gregory dealt with Belinda's case directly and say's it's important to let victims know that their voices will be heard and taken seriously by police:

"When they're ready to talk about it, they need to know that they can come forward to the police who they can trust and who will help them and be patient with them"

Belinda say's breaking her silence has allowed her to move on with her life, after what was a horrific ordeal :

"I wasn't going to go to the police at first, which would have meant i'd still have the abuse hanging over me and I would have felt as though I couldn't cope. But the police were amazing, having the support from detectives like Michelle has been really good for me. In the end, I know what I did was the right thing to do"

• Local News
• sexual abuse