June 2019 Brave survivor speaks out as abuser is jailed A woman has revealed how she was sexually abused by a friend of her parents when she was just 12 years old. Sophie, 24, of Colchester, told how she was preyed on by sick Philip Franklin, now 65. The paedophile, 41 years older than her, gave her presents in order to buy her silence – and at the time she believed she was in a relationship with him. Mum-of-one Sophie said: “Men like this prey on the young. “I wasn’t old enough to legally consent to any of this, and I truly thought that Philip loved me. “Now I see him for the sicko that he really is.” From the age of nine, Franklin would babysit Sophie and she’d often stay the night at his house. Sophie says: “Philip lived down the road and he’d look after me while my parents wanted some alone time.” But in April 2007 when Sophie was 12, Franklin asked her to take her top off during a sleepover. She was confused, but did as she was told. Before long, he was kissing her. Sophie says: “I had no idea that it was wrong. Afterwards, he took me into his bedroom where he touched me and made me touch him. “He told me he loved me. Then he said that I was his girlfriend, but it was a secret. “I trusted him, so agreed not to tell anyone.” By the time Sophie was 13, they were having sex. She says: “When Philip came round the house, we acted normal in front of my parents. “But he’d wink at me when Mum’s back was turned. In 2008, he bought me a card for Valentine’s Day which I hid from my parents. “I had no idea that he was being so manipulative.” But in 2009, when Sophie was 14, she was taught about sexual education in school. She says: “As I realised that I was too young to legally consent to sexual activity, a wave of nausea hit me. “I couldn’t understand how a man that I trusted could do that. “But I was too scared to tell anyone. So I kept quiet and the abuse carried on.” The abuse continued until Sophie turned 16, and as she entered her last year of high school, Franklin began distancing himself from her. Then she met a boy at college and they started dating so she told Franklin she’d met someone else. Franklin told her that he knew this would happen someday. After that, she never went round his house again. Sophie says: “It was a relief, but I never felt safe. He still came round to my parents’ house every now and then, but I avoided him as much as possible.” In 2012 aged 18, Sophie moved out of the area to get away from Franklin. But the memories were impossible to escape. She remembers: “Every night, I woke up sweating and screaming. “In 2014, my then-boyfriend knew something was wrong as I never got a peaceful night’s sleep. “But I refused to open up. He spoke to his support worker, who called me in for a meeting. “I realised that this was my chance and I told her everything. She encouraged me to speak to my parents. “So that day, I blurted out the secret I’d been holding in for eight years. “Mum and dad were shocked but they were really supportive.” Two days later, Sophie reported Franklin to the police. He was arrested and charged with multiple counts of abuse. Then he was let out on bail. But he fled to the Philippines. Sophie says: “I was disgusted. A warrant was issued for his arrest, but I knew it was hopeless. “I couldn’t believe that he’d been able to leave the country when he was out on bail.” Three years later, Sophie received a call from officers letting her know that Franklin had been arrested. She said: “They told me that he’d been detained at Heathrow airport when he’d been trying to return to England. “I broke down in tears.” In November 2017, Philip Franklin, now 65, of no fixed abode, but previously of Wilson Marriage Road, Colchester appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court charged with 22 sexual offences. He pleaded not guilty meaning that Sophie was forced to give evidence. But the jury found him guilty of six counts of sexual assault of a child and four counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. He was jailed for nine years. Sophie says: “As the judge read out Philip’s sentence, he threw his headset to the ground. “It pleased me to know that he wasn’t happy about it. It was the closure I needed. “I’ll never be able to forgive him but I’m glad I’ve gotten justice. “Now my life’s back on track. And I want my story to help others: speak out. It’s not your fault.”