Woman raped 22 times by evil grooming gang 'will never get her childhood back'

28 August 2023 , 08:36

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Christina O’Connor has been denied the career she longer for due to the abuse

A rape survivor who was groomed by a gang when she was 14 has been denied the career she longed for due to the abuse.

Christina O’Connor, now 31, suffers "so much pain" every day as a result of the trauma at the hands of the Huddersfield Grooming gang. The stigma from the abuse has followed her into adulthood – and destroyed her chances of normal relationships and a career.

Christina, who signed a waiver to remove her right to anonymity, was lured into the grooming gang at just 14 following bullying at school over her weight. She was physically, sexually, and mentally abused on an almost daily basis.

In 2018 11 men were convicted of a staggering 43 offences against Christina, including 22 counts of rape. Yet five years on, the trauma continues to dominate her life.

Christina, pictured with her late dad Michael, suffers 'so much pain' every day as a result of the trauma

The 31-year-old has spoken of the toxic legacy of the abuse

Speaking today, Christina, now a mother herself, said: “Every day, I am reminded about what happened. I want to put it behind me, and move on, but I can’t. There is so much pain and so much damage which still remains. I haven’t had the kind of support I needed, and I don’t think of any of the girls did. We were just left to swim – or sink."

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After she was released from prison, with convictions for burglary, theft and violence, Christina struggled to get a job. She added: “I worked as a hairdresser for a while, but I had depression and anxiety, and I was self-medicating with alcohol. My employer was lovely, but she had to let me go in the end."

She wanted to work in childcare, but her applications were refused, because of her criminal record. Then she tried to train as a chef but that fell through also.

Christina continued: “People don’t always see past my convictions. The criminality was wrong, and I deeply regret it. I am really sorry to the people I hurt. But the robberies and the violence were all a part of the grooming process. I committed the offences under duress. I had to do them, to keep myself safe. If I disobeyed the gang leaders, then I suffered. It was survival of the fittest and I did as I was told even though I knew it was wrong.

“I feel I’m being punished over and over for the offences, and yet I wasn’t responsible for my own behaviour. The men used the robberies as a way of controlling me. I’d never have got into trouble with the police if it wasn’t for the gang."

Christina credits her father with supporting her throughout the ordeal

Christina, pictured at school, was denied the childhood she was entitled to because of the vile gang

Christina’s relationships have also suffered. She added: "I have problems trusting people and letting them close to me. During my teenage years, when I was being groomed, I fell out with my family and friends, because my lifestyle was so chaotic.

"I pushed everyone, including myself, to the limit. I was out all night, I was drunk or on drugs, I never went to school. Nobody knew about the gang, and I was too scared to tell anyone the truth."

Tragically, many of the other victims in the gang – the only people who really knew what was happening - turned on each other too, under the influence of the gang leaders.

"At first, the girls in the gang were all quite friendly with each other. We were going through a shared trauma. But gradually, we were made to turn on each other," Christina said.

"The gang didn’t want us to have friendships. They wanted us isolated and alone, so we were less likely to speak up for ourselves. It was inhuman, pitting us against each other. Even though we have all been through the same ordeal, we can’t rely on each for support.

"Again, that wasn’t our fault. It was all a part of being groomed. Yet these issues still haunt me today. I was offered a couple of counselling sessions after the trial, but it was never the same counsellor twice and I just didn’t feel like they were listening. After that, there was nothing. It sometimes feels more like the authorities are working against me, than with me."

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Christina credits her father, Michael, with supporting her throughout and it was his death from cancer, in March 2022, aged 75, which inspired her to write her book "Groomed by a Gang". Published in June, it is now available to buy online from Amazon.

She said: “I was always a Daddy’s girl. He was Irish and I was very proud of my Irish roots. We both supported the same Gaelic football team. When I was out with the gang, he would drive round late at night in his truck, looking for me. He did his best, against all odds, to keep me safe. He was very supportive all through the trial and the sentencing too.

“In his final days, he urged me to speak out, to save the next generation, to save the next little girl who is bullied in school. I know he’s proud, looking down on me. I hope I can make a difference in his memory."

Ann Cusack