A sexual abuse survivor has praised the ‘amazing’ work of the police and encouraged others to come forward after the man who abused her more than 20 years ago was finally brought to justice.
Jonathan Withey, now aged 42, assaulted the woman and another man on multiple occasions after meeting his victims in the late 1990s.
The former scout leader abused his position to assault the school-aged children.
He was found guilty last year of two charges of rape, three of indecent assault, six counts of indecency with a child and two of having sexual intercourse with a girl under 13.
Appearing at Nottingham Crown Court in September, he was jailed for 16 years.
One of his victims has now reached out to Nottinghamshire Police to thank officers for their work and encourage other victims of historical abuse to come forward.
Georgia, whose name we have changed to protect her identity, saw her abuser one day in 2018 and began a five-year journey to get justice.
She explained:
“Seeing him that day just brought everything back to me.
“It had all happened a very long time ago and – even though I thought about it every day – I had just put it away.
“I felt I had moved on with my life but as soon as I saw him, I was transported back to that scared little girl again.
“I knew he still had control over me, and he was still living his life as if nothing happened. It was then that I had this horrific thought: what if he did this to somebody else and how could I live with myself if he did.”
After mulling it over for several weeks Georgia finally reached out to Nottinghamshire Police for help.
She added:
“Obviously I was concerned about going to the police. Above all I was concerned that I would not be believed – mainly because at the time of the abuse he had told me again and again that nobody would believe me. He had really drilled that into me again and again.
“My logical brain knew it would ultimately be his word against mine. I also knew there was no forensic evidence because things had happened so long ago – but ultimately I just had faith in the justice system and knew that if I told the truth then justice would eventually prevail. Even if I wasn’t successful, I could at least say I had done all I could to stop him offending again.
“The officer who came to take my initial report was really good. He did care and he was compassionate. He said he knew it was hard and took quite a detailed account.
“He wrote it all down and let me read it afterwards. He was clear with me that things would take some time to move forward but I felt reassured right from the start that I had made the right decision in coming forward.”
Several weeks later Georgia was called to complete a video interview at a police station. Withey was arrested and a lengthy investigation into the allegations began. She was kept up-to-date with all developments in the case and was eventually supported to give evidence in court.
“It did go on for a very long time and there were times when I wanted to drop out and just let it go, but I kept going back to that fear that he would do this again to somebody else and felt I had a responsibility to keep going. The officer in the case was regularly phoning and emailing me with any updates and I knew she really did care about me and the case. She really went above and beyond and I will always be thankful to the police.
“I really owe everything to them as I can now move on with my life. Them doing their job has enabled me to have a happy life without him plaguing me. I can’t express how amazing they have all been. The whole team have worked hard – people behind the scenes that I will never meet – and I just can’t thank them enough. Even the barrister in the case – who was also amazing – said what a great job the officers had done with the investigation.”
Speaking to other victims, she urged them to follow their instincts and trust in the police.
She added:
“This really isn’t an easy process and people should forget what they have seen in TV dramas. Your case won’t be solved in a couple of weeks, and it may take a very long time to get to court, but I would urge people to have trust in the police and to have faith in the process.
“For me a massive barrier was the fear that I wouldn’t be believed – but I really never felt like that. You will be treated respectfully, and the police will take you seriously. When they ask questions it isn’t because they don’t believe you; it is because they want to gather the best evidence they can to help secure a conviction.
“Whilst I can’t say that everyone will get the justice they deserve, I know it won’t be for lack of trying on account of the police. So if you have been a victim of this kind of abuse the police really are here to help you.
“I know police officers get a bad press sometimes, but everyone I have dealt with in this case has been amazing. They have cared and I know just how hard they have worked to put my abuser where he belongs and to help me move on with my life.”
