December 2016 Woman sexually abused as a child joined police to help other victims before reporting her own abuser A victim of historical sex abuse told a judge though it had a devastating effect on her life she was able to battle depression and become a police officer. The woman attended Bristol Crown Court for the sentence of Alan Slade, who subjected her to a series of sexual assaults in Bristol from when she was aged six to 12. Though the abuse caused catastrophic repercussions for her, such as thoughts of suicide and struggles with self-confidence, she said she was proud to have formed a police career, before deciding to report Slade for what he did to her to prevent him from doing it to someone else. She said: “I have given Slade and his actions too many years of my life. I have spent too long crying and hiding away. “What Slade did to me will never leave me, but it has made me the strong person I am today and I will not give up.” Slade, 46, of Fishponds Road, pleaded guilty to four charges of indecent assault. Judge Martin Picton jailed him for six years and eight months, with an extra one year on licence. He told Slade: “You committed some terrible offences, a long time ago now. “It’s quite apparent by the account given by your victim the harm you did then has carried through the decades in the manner she described. “Your selfish and deeply perverted behaviour has done huge harm. She managed not to allow the wrong you did to define her life, but it greatly impacted on her life.” Slade was told to register as a sex offender for life and given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order, banning him from unsupervised contact with youngsters. James Tucker, prosecuting, said Slade touched the complainant’s private parts, orally abused her and made her touch him improperly. For years the abuse went unreported, the court heard. After consequences including behavioural problems and self-confidence issues the victim came to understand what was done to her was wrong, but was embarrassed and ashamed and felt there was no way she could tell anyone. But as time progressed she joined Avon and Somerset police, dealing with reports of sexual offences and thinking if she could help them, she may be able to help herself one day. She told the judge: “I was at a sexual offence seminar listening to a survivor’s story. “They talked about their struggle with drugs and alcohol, their time spent in police cells after being arrested for various things, the way their life had just got worse until they eventually faced up to their past. “Suddenly something clicked inside of me. I sat there and I had an overwhelming feeling of pride. “I was thinking, I could have ended up this way but instead, despite always believing I was weak and useless, I have never touched drugs or had a problem with alcohol, I have never been arrested, I have in fact done the complete opposite and I knew at that moment I was incredibly strong, strong enough to finally get some closure. “I had kept something so massive to myself for almost 30 years and not only led a normal life, I had thrown myself head first into helping others with the one thing that I couldn’t do for myself. “That same day I reported my abuse to the police and from the minute I gave my statement I felt like this huge weight had lifted from me. I felt almost free and the feeling in the pit of my stomach was gone.”