KEIR GUIDOTTI

A woman from Wiltshire has shared her experience of how her stepfather’s sexual abuse transformed her home into a prison during her teenage years.

In a personal victim statement read out in court, Chloe Songhurst described the profound impact of Keir Guidotti, aged 41, on her mental and emotional well-being.

Guidotti was convicted after a trial at Winchester Crown Court and received a 40-month prison sentence for 13 counts of sexual assault committed when she was between 17 and 19 years old.

Chloe recounted how Guidotti became fixated on her, repeatedly touching her and forcing her to call him Dad.

He bought her underwear, expressed his love constantly, and became obsessed with her.

She also revealed that her mother was aware of the abuse but chose not to intervene, believing it was better to maintain household peace.

In her statement, she stated: “I felt so disgusted with myself for years.

I spent many hours alone, creating excuses for why Keir acted the way he did, and wondered why nobody believed me when I tried to tell.

Every day was unpredictable, and I dreaded waking up because I never knew what would happen.

I became a shell of myself, just existing to appease a man I was terrified of.

My home felt like a prison.

I lost my freedom, happiness, dignity, and privacy.

I was ashamed of my body and embarrassed of who I was.

I even considered ending my life.

The scars and memories of that time still haunt me, especially from a hospital visit after an attempt to take my own life.

I believe that without his actions, I would not have reached such a dark place.

His abuse caused the trauma I carry daily, and I live with the mental scars of his hands on me.

I don’t know if I will ever fully recover from that.

Chloe also shared her feelings about how her life seemed to be heading towards tragedy: “I often wished I would die peacefully in my sleep to escape another day of torment.

I desperately wanted to avoid him, avoid being touched, avoid being called a liar, or seen as a problem child.

It hurt most that I was not believed or protected, and that I was allowed to remain trapped in his web of deception.

I hoped someone would see through his lies and help me.

Having gone through this process and finally being heard, my life has changed dramatically.

I no longer wish for death.

Now, I wake up grateful for my life, for love, and for being my own person, instead of living under someone else’s control.

This ordeal has made me reconsider what family truly means.

To me now, family is about safety and feeling protected – where you don’t have to change who you are to stay safe.

Having a child has intensified these feelings.

I vow to prioritize their well-being and ensure they never feel the way I did.

Once I have moved past this, I want to make clear that I will not let Keir or his actions define me.

I am moving forward, raising my family, and his presence will fade like scars in the sunlight – visible but diminishing, symbols of who I once was but no longer controlling me.”