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A British mother of two, who finally outed her sexual abuser – her grandfather, was shunned by her family for speaking up.
Jade Edwards, 23, was just 13 when her granddad Joseph Edwards, now 63, began abusing her. For years she suffered at the hands of the man she’s described as her best friend, before having the courage to tell the rest of the family.
She finally decided enough was enough four years later and tricked him into admitting his secret with the help of Facebook, Daily Mail reports. She wanted to get evidence out of fear no one would believe her story and then turned to the social networking site.
"I decided to get proof myself. I messaged Grandad on Facebook and asked him, ‘Why did you do this to me?’
"He replied, ‘You just do it for me. I just want you in all ways, if that’s okay?’
"I messaged again asking why, and he replied, ‘I’m so sorry. I can’t stop it. I love you so much. Sorry for loving you so much. You’re just so good-looking.’
"I was heartbroken and decided not to report it"
"I was so relieved he admitted it, but when I showed my parents they didn't believe me. I was heartbroken and decided not to report it."
She says the first time it happened she was watching TV at her grandfather’s house while her grandmother was upstairs sleeping. He groped her bottom while they were alone in the living room, the Liverpool Echo reports.
"I was so confused. I didn’t understand what had just happened. He then flicked the TV channels and acted like nothing happened, so I ignored it."
One day nine months later, he picked her up from school and they drove to the beach. After parking in a quiet road, he slid his hands up her thighs.
"I felt like I was going to be sick"
"He then stuck his tongue in my mouth, and I felt like I was going to be sick. He kept feeling up my thighs and was moaning. I felt tears pouring down my face while he did it," says Jade, recalling the incident from 2009.
Afterwards he warned Jade not to tell her grandmother or her parents.
But in November 2016 she plucked up the courage to go to the police station and report the abuse.
"I told them everything Grandad had done to me and I showed them all the Facebook messages.
"He was arrested the next day and the messages were used as evidence. Sickeningly, Grandad called me a liar and denied all charges against him," Jade said in a recent interview.
"I was betrayed by everyone I loved"
She says her family have disowned her, refusing to believe her side of the story, according to Mirror News.
"They took his side in court. I was betrayed by everyone I loved," she says.
Last year Joseph was found guilty of a number of sexual offences and sentenced to 15 years in jail. But although Jade doesn’t think his sentence is long enough, she’s "just relieved he’s behind bars".
"Every day I wish I was abused by a stranger, not my grandad. I’ve been trying to move on with my life by being a good mom to my two kids.
"I may have lost my family and the man closest to me, but I spoke out and that’s what matters."
Sources: dailymail, mirror, liverpoolecho.co.uk
