Washington rapist victim urges other abuse victims to ‘stay strong’

After witnessing her attacker Trevor Cairns being jailed after eventually answering three decades of abuse, the woman is now focusing her efforts on encouraging people to speak out and seek their own justice.

All victims of rape and sex crimes are automatically granted anonymity for life. Therefore, the police stated that the true identity of the brave survivors would not be revealed and that she was named Ms. Z. for the purposes of the story.

She was present at Newcastle Crown Court last Thursday (May 18) to see how Cairns, her childhood attacker, was sentenced to 28 years in prison.

READ ALSO: Washington Man Motivated For “Sexual Power” Over Incarcerated Children

The now 66-year-old defendant, from Barmston, Washington, initially dismissed 13 charges involving 47 separate offenses against Ms Z. and two other applicants.

However, midway through his trial in February, he changed his plea and appeared via video link from prison last week for the sentencing hearing.

The sentence, handed down by Judge Robert Spragg, means Cairns, who is said to be in poor health, will have to serve at least two-thirds of his sentence, almost 19 years, before he can be considered for parole by the parole board.

Cairns had spent years denying his guilt and it was only when the evidence against him mounted, six days into his trial that he changed his guilty plea to guilty.

Ms. Z. welcomed the result, but said that in her eyes no judgment would ever be enough and that she would never be able to get her childhood back.

Of her journey to justice, she said, “In the back of my mind, I always knew that one day the call would come.”

Ms Z was painstakingly tracked down by Northumbria Police Detective Colin Ramshaw after another victim revealed she had been ill-treated by Cairns.

Assuming there were other victims, the experienced investigator spotted what appeared to be a pattern of abuse and, determined to seek justice, reached out to other potential victims.

Ms Z said: “Some people knew about the abuse but not in detail, not even my family.

“I have told no one about the extent of the brutal abuse I have suffered or what I have seen.

“It was and is too traumatic to even think about it, let alone talk about it.

“After the phone call, I felt overwhelming pain and fear of what was to come, but my family and friends were very supportive and very proud that I had the strength and determination to get through such a traumatic trial.”

READ ALSO: Washington pedophile Trevor Cairns pleads guilty to sexual abuse

After the initial shock of the police call wore off and family and friends supported her in any way they could, Ms. Z began to help the officers.

She said: “It took no convincing to speak openly about it.

“After that call, I knew I had to do it.

“Of course there was a period of concern as I didn’t know what to expect or how long it would take to get to court.

“It was very difficult to make a video and verbal statements about my innermost feelings and terrible memories.

“But I knew I had to do this for myself, my family, my friends and for everyone out there who may have fallen victim to this predatory monster.

“I was afraid to appear in court but knew I had nothing to hide and just had to tell the truth about what happened.”

Ms. Z. bravely spoke out loud at the court’s sentencing hearing on Thursday, reading her victim impact statement to the judge before the judge made his sentencing decision.

She said: “I wanted to show the true impact and reflection of what happened to me.

“He will never defeat me.

“He is a pathetic predator who preys on the defenseless, a manipulator who is calculated and plays the system.

“He thought he could go through life seemingly with impunity, slipping under the radar and crawling like the monstrous reptile he is, a life destroyer.

“I have a firm resolution that he will never again have the opportunity to hurt anyone.”

When asked why she chose to read her own statement and not have someone else read it on her behalf, she said: “I actually feel empowered.

“My confidence has grown a lot since Detective Ramshaw first called.

“I only hope and pray that Cairns now spends the rest of his miserable life in prison.”

Encouraging other people to speak up, she said: “My message to anyone who has been or is a victim of such heinous acts is: remember: it’s not your fault.”

“Don’t think you’ll be judged, don’t think you deserve it, don’t be afraid you won’t be believed.”

She said there is “an amazing support network” that assists victims at every step of the judicial process and guides them through every step of the investigative phase and trial.

“The police will keep everything completely confidential and allow you to show the way.

“One day there will be guilt and the next day there will be anger.

“It’s normal to feel like this, you’re a survivor.”

She added, “I would like to take this opportunity to thank my family and friends, the police, legal representation, and court and support services who have helped all three of us through this very difficult time in our lives.”

“They know who they are.”

She thanked them for believing her and the other two victims in the case.

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“My message to Trevor Cairns is this.

“I speak for this little girl and all the other children you brutally raped and abused. You have not defeated us and I hope you suffer as we do.”

Anyone affected by the story of Ms Z and the other Cairns victims are asked to visit the Northumbria Police Service website for information on how to report crime and access the support available.