‘Sex abuse’ victim appeal
APPEAL: John Brooke as a schoolboy.
A MAN who claims he was sexually assaulted at a special school in Yorkshire has waived his anonymity to fight for justice.
John Brooke, 32, originally from Heckmondwike but now living in Huddersfield, said he had decided to speak out after discovering the school he went to could not be named for legal reasons.
He said: “As I can’t tell people which school I was at when I was abused, I’ve been left with no choice but to waive my right to anonymity in the hope that people will remember my name and what happened to me and others at this school in the early 1990s.”
Mr Brooke, who is registered disabled, said he had undergone years of psychological treatment and was only able to speak about what happened to him last year.
He said he hoped that by coming forward he would jog the memories of others who might be able to help support his account of how he was abused for several years while at the special school.
He joined the school in 1991 because he was suffering from emotional behavioural difficulties.
He said: “While I was there, I was sexually abused.
“The abuse was regular and constant, and I’ve struggled to come to terms with it every day since.”
Mark Hatzer, a partner with Fentons Solicitors LLP, is representing Mr Brooke.
He said: “He left the specialist school in 1993 and went into mainstream education, but after his experiences over those few years he was never sure who he could trust, or even what normal behaviour was.”
Anyone who attended school with Mr Brooke between 1991 and 1993 and who may have witnessed any attacks, or was subjected to any similar attacks, is asked to contact Mark Hatzer at Fentons Solicitors LLP on 0844 854 3078.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Cleckheaton
Wednesday 22 May 2013
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 4 C to 15 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Light showers
Temperature: 5 C to 11 C
Wind Speed: 21 mph
Wind direction: North west
