Why I broke my silence on child sex abuse horror - and what parents need to know
A woman who was sexually abused whilst in care as a teenager has "turned her life around" and gone on to help other children by becoming a foster carer herself.
Teresa Welsh, who now lives in Grimbsy, has bravely waived her right to anonymity, and said despite her horrific ordeal she wanted "to help the system which failed me as a child." The 43-year-old was subjected to terrifying abuse by Keith Coomber, who was 14 years her senior at the time. He was the son of an elderly couple who she was placed with when she was 16.
Coomber, who police believe is a serial abuser, climbed into her bed and sexually assaulted her on a "regular basis". He received a six year and nine month jail sentence on Friday after he confessed to 9 counts of indecent assault against Teresa, alongside charges relating to two other victims. The 57-year-old was previously also jailed for three years after he pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual activity with a person suffering from a mental disorder impeding choice.
Keith Coomber has been jailed for six years (Focus Features)Mother of three Teresa, who now lives near Grimsby, said she decided to come forward so she can encourage others to report abuse. “I want everyone to see Coomber’s face. He is a dangerous predator. I hope by speaking out, I can persuade others to come forward too. It is never too late to report abuse and it is never too late to get justice," she said. I decided to become a foster carer because I wanted to turn my life around, I want to help the system which failed me as a child. I know how children feel when they are taken into care, and I hope I can support them through it. I was so nervous about facing Coomber in court, but he looked pathetic. He looked so sorry for himself. He deserves a lot longer in prison, but I am glad he is facing justice at last.”
Teresa pictured at five years old (Focus Features)
Teresa is now a mother to three children (Focus Features)Teresa was neglected growing up as a child in Corby, Northamptonshire, and aged 13, she was taken into care. She says: “My parents couldn’t look after me. I was a carer myself, doing the shopping, looking after everyone. So whilst it was traumatic being taken away, it was also a relief that finally someone else was going to take responsibility.” She had two foster placements until, aged 16, she was placed with an elderly couple, whose son, Keith Coomber, was a regular visitor to their home in Kettering. He was 14 years older than Teresa.
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Teresa says: “It was stressful, moving into a new home, there were lots of new faces and I wasn’t a confident kid. Keith Coomber called round a lot, especially early mornings, when I was still in bed. It started with playfighting, where he would grab me inappropriately, but I told myself it was probably accidental. But then, he’d come into my bedroom, very early in the morning. He climbed into my bed and sexually assaulted me, on a regular basis.
“There were people downstairs, and I always hoped they would hear him or question what was happening. Coomber was married with his own family. It was sickening and I felt very isolated. I tried pushing him off and telling him to stop but he just laughed at me. My self-esteem was so low, I felt I didn’t matter, because I was a child in care. I confided in a friend, but I never thought of reporting it. I was convinced nobody would believe me. I felt absolutely worthless at that point.”
Teresa with her friends as a teenager in the foster system (Focus Features)
Teresa said she turned to alcohol to cope with the trauma (Focus Features)Teresa internalised her trauma and began drinking, self-harming, and playing truant from school and later from college. Shortly before her 18th birthday, she took an overdose of aspirin. After being treated in hospital, she was thrown out of her foster home and had to quickly find a place of her own. Coomber again visited her, at her own flat, and tried to force himself on her. She managed to escape him by fighting back and screaming. After this last incident, she wrote a letter which contained details of the sexual abuse but could not bring herself to speak to the police.
Teresa went on to get married and have her own three children, and even became a foster carer herself. But memories of the abuse haunted her, and she had dips in her mental health. In 2021, she read a news report that Coomber had been convicted of sexual assault on another victim. She says: “It all came flooding back. There was an appeal for other victims to come forward and I realised I had to speak out. I had to stop him doing this again and again.”
Coomber pleaded guilty to 12 counts of indecent assault against Teresa and other women and was sentenced at Northampton Crown Court last week to six years and nine months. During the hearing, the court learned how two of the girls had been sexually abused by Coomber on multiple occasions, with one of them being a vulnerable teenager in foster care at the time. At sentencing today, their powerful victim impact statements were read out to the court and detailed how Coomber’s abuse has affected them. “He was subtle - inappropriately and cleverly subtle,” one of them wrote. “Just enough to not be right but not quite enough to settle the doubt in myself. It was little and often, for years. I used to wash and wash and wash and yet still feel dirty.”
Teresa said she confided in a friend but struggled to report the abuse (Focus Features)“I felt worthless, unloved, unwanted, isolated, lonely, angry, scared, helpless and hopeless,” wrote the other. “No amount of punishment will change the damage you have done. Your sentence will never come close to the sentence I have endured.” The third woman was in her 20s when she visited Coomber’s house as part of her job and he took the opportunity to sexually assault her - pushing her against a wall and kissing her before she managed to escape.
At the end of their victim impact statements, one of the women wrote: “You broke me at 18. Your actions very nearly killed me. I will not allow you to break me again. I am a victim, I will always have been a victim, but I am more so a fighter.” And the other ended – “Please know that I survived and I made it. Please know that I will never fail. Yes I was a victim, but above all I am a survivor.” Lead Investigator - Detective Sergeant Robert Johnson, said: “The courage displayed by these women has been extraordinary. They have called upon strength they should never have had to find, and I hope that they recognise just how incredible they have been in reporting this abuse to us and supporting an investigation which has resulted in their abuser being sent to prison.
“As one of them eloquently said - no sentence will make up for the abuse Keith Coomber has inflicted, however I hope the conclusion of this case has allowed them to have truly felt listened to and provided them with some semblance of closure as a result. Keith Coomber is a dangerous sexual predator. His methods of abuse were subtle, calculating and manipulative, and I am so pleased that he has been put back in prison. Tackling violence against women and girls is a matter of priority for Northamptonshire Police and we will continue working hard to put people like Coomber behind bars.”
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