A woman whose father was last month sentenced for raping her on her 18th birthday in 1990 has waived her right to anonymity to encourage others to seek justice.
Julieanne Boyle is speaking out publicly about how she was abused by William Boyle, originally from north Belfast, from she was aged 11.
When he raped her, she fell pregnant, but lost the child three months into her pregnancy. She was placed in a local psychiatric unit for eight and a half months.
Now aged 51, she is “speaking out and taking back my life and my freedom”.
It comes as figures reveal an almost 20% increase in the number of ‘non-recent’ abuse crimes reported to police in the past five years.
PSNI statistics show that in 2022/23, there were 1,245 ‘non-recent’ sexual crimes reported to police, an increase of 17% from 2018/19.
Figures show non-recent sexual offences reporting has totalled almost 5,800 over the past five years.
As part of Sexual Abuse and Sexual Violence Awareness Week, which begins today, the PSNI is highlighting the support available to survivors, particularly of non-recent abuse.
Non-recent child sexual abuse, is when an adult was abused as a child or young person.
The PSNI says “whether the abuse happened once or hundreds of times, a year or 70 years ago, whatever the circumstances, there’s support to help. It’s never too late”.
Police have in part attributed the increase in reporting to more survivors, like Julieane, having the confidence to come forward.
Just last month, her father, now aged 88, was handed a seven-and-a-half year custodial sentence for raping her.
She said she hopes by publicly sharing her story, others who have carried “the shame of their abuse” will have the courage to speak out.
“My ‘father’, who was never worthy of that title, robbed me of my innocence and I was silenced for so long as the abuse started when I was 11,” she said.
“At 51, I am now speaking out and taking back my life and my freedom.
“I lived a life in fear, fear of him, then fear of not being believed.
“I do not want other survivors out there to think they cannot speak out. I was believed, I was supported and I finally got justice.
“He no longer has any power over me.
“The trauma I experienced in not only being sexually abused but also losing my child, I will never fully recover from, but today I feel like I can finally put my daughter to rest.”
She said the support from the PSNI and PPS “gave me the confidence and strength to not give up even through the most difficult of circumstances”.
“I would urge other survivors to come forward and report their abuse.
“I know you will be treated with the same respect, compassion and empathy I was. I will continue to fight for other survivors.
“Remember, it is not your shame to carry.”
PSNI Detective Chief Superintendent Lindsay Fisher said: “For so long, there has been a cultural stigma at play and we have harboured a society where sex in general has been a taboo subject and so when people have been assaulted, they have found it incredibly difficult to tell someone.
“It is encouraging to see reporting figures go up as it tells me that our communities are taking serious steps to dispel harmful myths and move away from a victim blaming culture.
“This week, and every week, we are asking the public to take a stand with us and say – it is not ok.
“The perpetrators of these crimes are only ever the ones at fault and don’t let the passage of time stop you from finally having your voice heard.”
To contact police, please call 101, or in an emergency call 999. You can also report online here: https://www.psni.police.uk/report
