A woman, Shavoughne Firth, who was sexually abused by her older brother, Kieran Firth, has spoken of the pain and suffering inflicted by her mother’s choice to stand by her abuser.
Shavoughne Firth, now 27, waived her legal right to anonymity to share the story of how she was sexually abused from the age of five. Kieran Firth, now 37, was sentenced to eight years in prison earlier this month. The sentencing took place at Exeter Crown Court on Wednesday, December 4.
Kieran Firth denied the offences but was found guilty of five counts of sexual assault against a child, including two accounts of indecent assault, two of assault by penetration and one of sexual assault following a trial this year. The court heard Kieran was 16 when the abuse began and continued until he was aged 22. Shavoughne Firth was only aged five to 12 during the offences.
Shavoughne Firth revealed in her statement to the court that what happened to her forever shaped her life and who she is. She added she has even tried to take her life as a result. “The pain of the abuse has not only affected my emotional wellbeing but also has led to my diagnosis of depression, anxiety, schizophrenia and PTSD.” she told the court.
“I struggle daily with intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, dissociation and the overwhelming feeling of fear and isolation.” A significant portion of her statement was detailing how her mum did not believe her and sided with her brother. I remember gathering the courage to tell my mum that my brother was doing things to me in the bath,”
“Her response was dismissive: ‘Don’t be silly, he is only washing you’. In that moment I felt a crushing sense of isolation. My voice, my pain, was silence. I learned the truth I carried was not worthy of belief and instead of finding solace in my family, I left feeling even more alienated.”
“Desperate for attention, I wrote a letter to my mum expressing how I felt like an outsider in my own home. I poured my heart into those words hoping she would understand my feelings of exclusion and sadness but those feelings were never acknowledged.”
“Instead, I was left to grapple with the notion that I did not belong and my experiences were not believed or too shameful to be spoken about openly. This created a chasm in our relationship I still feel today.”
Shavoughne Firth noted at age eight the abuse briefly stopped. This was after an altercation between Kieran and another brother, Nathan. However, this defence was not permanent and abuse resumed after Nathan was imprisoned and Shavoughe was alone again.
Shavoughne Firth said, “Despite the overwhelming sense of fear, I’ve always remembered that Nathan was the only one who ever defended me.”
Shavoughne Firth told Cornwall Live after the sentencing the experience was “very surreal.”
“My life could have been so different and I want to have some sort of good come from this and do good by other survivors and help them come forwards.”
“I’m grieving for that little girl that had to go through all that but I’m also grieving for the adult version of myself who doesn’t have a mother now. I don’t have parents in my life anymore.”
“They’ve chosen their side and they are sticking to it. It’s something I will never get over but it’s something I’ve had to live with and learn to live with. I feel like the hardest part of all of this would be not having a parent to support me.”
Focusing on the future, Shavoughne Firth hopes to work with authorities and to help small groups to help refine the criminal justice system so that victims have further support during the process outside of family and friends.
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.