Jennifer Colebrook: Brave survivor of abuse gives evidence to see the man who abused her jailed
A woman who was abused by a family friend from the age of 11 has bravely stood up to the man who took advantage of her and has seen him jailed for seven years.
Gary Wilson, then in his late 30s, abused Jennifer Colebrook, starting before she was a teenager. He performed sex acts on Jennifer, and made her perform them on him, and also took indecent pictures - on one occasion making her lie nude while he threw £500 in bank notes over her.
Jennifer, now 29, kept the abuse a secret for years but after telling her parents when she was 22, she reported it to police in 2019. After police searched his home, they found indecent pictures that were not connected to Jennifer.
Wilson, 56, was charged and admitted three counts of making indecent images, and one count of possessing an extreme pornographic image.
He was also charged with five counts of sexual activity with a child, two counts of sexual assault of a child, two counts of inciting a child into sexual activity, and two counts of taking indecent images of a child – all these offences were related to Jennifer.
He denied the offences and the case finally came to trial in October this year, and he was found guilty of all 11 charges that were connected to Jennifer. Now he has been sentenced to seven years in prison and given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
As the victim of a sexual offence, Jennifer has a legal right to anonymity but has waived this in order to tell her story fully.
In a Victim Personal Statement, which she read out in court, Jennifer detailed the lasting and devastating impact that Wilson’s abuse had had on her life. In the statement she explains how it has affected everything from struggling with personal hygiene, going out on her own, relationships, career, and travel.
Jennifer also details the years of panic attacks, flashbacks, anxiety and depression she has suffered since the abuse as she suffers Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
An extract from the statement reads: “My life will never be the same again, after what happened to me. I have lost out on a childhood… because of what this man has done to me.
“The effects of what happened to me have been with me since the beginning and I can stand here now knowing that this could have been a completely different outcome. I say that as someone who on multiple occasions I have tried to take my own life because of what he did to me. I am still healing and will take a very long time learning to live with what happened to me.”
Detective Sergeant Chris Wright, officer in the case said: “Jennifer has shown immense courage throughout the police investigation and lengthy wait for this case to be heard in court. She has also very bravely made the decision to waive her right to anonymity, so that her story can be told in detail.
“As Jennifer rightly puts it ‘I have nothing to hide’. There is absolutely no shame in being a survivor of abuse, and I hope that Jennifer’s decision to speak out gives others the confidence to talk about what has happened to them. Gary Wilson stole years of Jennifer’s childhood, but she is working hard to reclaim her future. Wilson is now rightly behind bars where he cannot harm anyone else.”
Wilson, of Hill Close, Turnditch, Belper, Derbyshire, was sentenced at Lincoln Crown Court.
Rape Crisis runs a 24-hour rape and sexual abuse support line every day of the year on 0808 500 2222. People can also find their nearest Sexual Assault Referral Centre here.