I AM the live-in carer of an elderly man, whose life has been ruined from beginning to end through sexual abuse from foster parents, who not only sexually abused him from the age of six but who also were members of an occult coven on a remote farm in the Highlands of Scotland.

He and other fostered children from other farms were also used in sexual ‘rituals’ in the coven (he is now dying from terminal cancer).

He kept his childhood horrors a secret, thinking no-one would believe him, until he was 59 years old, when he disclosed his childhood to me.

I am a Christian who has been involved in helping people who have escaped from occult covens and I have also worked in a psychiatric unit for teenagers – many of whom were suffering from trauma having been sexually abused.

When I happened to talk of my work he realised that I would believe what had happened to him.

He has suffered post-traumatic stress all his life; he tried to block it out with alcohol; lived on the streets for over 25 years; has made several serious attempts at suicide and never sleeps at night without suffering a nightmare of reliving the years that he was continually raped as a child. I got him psychiatric help but because he was so traumatised, therapy was not an option and medication was prescribed to help him with his symptoms.

His abusers are long dead, so he is unable to bring them to justice. However, the recent conviction of paedophile Brian Hoverd, through the brave women who had the courage to bring him to trial for the sexual abuse they had suffered as children at his hands and which led to his conviction, has given my friend a terrific boost to his morale.

He feels that they have achieved justice on his behalf and for the hundreds of others who were sexually abused as children but who did not dare to tell.

These women also have my utmost admiration for their bravery, and I hope that now they can find closure for their suffering.

They have put all child-molesters ‘on the run’ and are to be praised for their courage.

But there are still children suffering from this terrible sin from uncles, fathers, mothers, mothers’ boyfriends, grandfathers, brothers, sisters, friends of the family, to complete strangers.

We must teach our children to tell if they feel they have been touched in any way which makes them feel uncomfortable. To teach them to go on telling until a teacher, a police officer, Childline or someone they feel they can trust believes them! Because the sooner they tell, the shorter their torture will be and the quicker will be their recovery.

Finally, to anyone who abuses or even fantasises about sexually abusing children, please, please go for psychiatric help. You may have been abused yourself but unless you go for help you have no excuse and will have to live with the guilt of what you are doing and the consequences, if you do nothing to help yourself stop.

Name and address supplied