child abuser dad gets 10 years

A story I covered for today's MEN. The girls' dad was jailed for 10 years yesterday.
It is rare of victims to waive their anonymity like this, and Kelly was incredibly brave to face a bunch of journalists and camera crew even before her dad had been sentenced. I found her quite inspiring, the way she has dealt with everything which happened to her with such maturity and actually chose to have her day in court.

A YOUNG mum has told how her childhood was snatched from her by her sexually abusive father.
Kelly Barton, 22, lived through horrific abuse at the hands of Philip Tilston, and has been left with deep emotional scars.
Over the course of four years, Tilston, 42, systematically abused Kelly and her sister Emma, 21, while their mother was out at work.
The former Manchester bus driver would get into their beds naked, force them to watch porn films with him and attack them at bathtime. He told the girls what was happening was a game called “sexing” and threatened to kill their mother if they told.
The sisters, who bravely waived their right to anonymity, were so terrified of his violence that they never even spoke to each other about what was happening.
It was not until March – some 14 years after Tilston split from their mother Hayley and left the family home – that they finally found the courage to go to the police.
Throughout the case their father denied the abuse had happened, calling his daughters liars and showing no remorse, but both women chose to stand before the jury and give evidence in person, rather than use a video link.

Tilston, of Chatsworth Road, in Stretford – who has since re-married and has two other children aged under five – was found guilty of 15 counts of indecent assault on two women under 13, and one count of indecent assault on a female under 16.
Kelly, who now has a three-year-old daughter and is five months pregnant, is still trying to terms with what had happened and the impact it has had.
Fighting back tears, she said: “Our father stole my innocence, and I hate him for that. We never had a childhood, and will never get that back. We loved and trusted our dad and for a long time thought what he was doing was completely normal. He had warned us to keep it secret, or our mum would go to heaven. I knew he was a violent man and didn’t know what he would do.
“The abuse began when I was three years old – the same age as my little girl is now. My mum used to work on Friday and Saturday nights, and that’s when it used to happen. Bath night was usually Sunday evening but that changed to Fridays. He would make me watch porno films and say he was teaching us for when we got older.
“As time went on I realised that what was happening was not normal. Once, I mentioned to a cousin that we played this game. Another time I told a school friend my dad had come back from the pub drunk the night before, and got into bed with me with no clothes on. There was a nervous laugh but nothing was said.”
As a teeanger, Kelly rebelled against her mum and stepdad and would often run away. She grew up near her father’s new home and would often run into him on the street. “He used to stare at me, almost as if saying: ‘I know what I’ve done to you and you can’t do anything about it’,” she said. “He thought he could get away with it.”
She moved in with her current partner, Mark Tyrrel, at the age of 17, moved to Salford – where her sister also now lives – and gave birth to their daughter two years later.
Kelly struggled to bond with her baby but with time became fiercely protective, although she still struggles with depression. She said: “When she was born, I hated her for ruining my life. I couldn’t bring myself to pick her up; I wasn’t ready to be a mother because I hadn’t dealt with the emotion of what I went through. Now, I’m determined to do everything in my power to make sure she has a brilliant life.”
When Emma went to the police, and Tilston was arrested, Kelly had mixed emotions. One moment, she felt sorry for him and the next she was furious. It was not until the last moment that the women decided to stand up to their father by giving evidence in person. Tilston, who has previous convictions for domestic violence but none for sexual crimes, stared down both women throughout their cross-examination, in a final attempt to intimidate them.

Det Sgt Ben Ewart, from Trafford Public Protection Unit, praised the Bartons for their courage and urged others who have been through abuse to contact police.
He said: “The sexual abuse suffered by Kelly and Emma is at the top end of the kind of attacks we see against young children. It was organised, pre-meditated series of attacks and typical of historic cases. He made sure what was happening appeared normal. The girls trusted their father and thought this was what all daddies did.
“Tilston’s reaction on being arrested was one of surprise, but he has never showed any remorse or emotion towards his victims. In my view, he is an extremely dangerous individual towards children.
“Kelly and Emma have been extremely brave in coming forward and standing up in court. They have waived their right to anonymity to try and encourage other victims of historic sexual abuse to come forward. We have trained detectives here in Manchester who use specialist techniques and will investigate every allegation thoroughly.”