My father abused me from the age of 4 and treated me like his wife – I thought it was normal because it was all I knew
- Jordanna-Leigh Evans, 26, of Yorkshire, has spoken of her childhood abuse
- Friend of her reported him after seeing bruises on Jordanna Leigh’s leg
- READ MORE: Woman ‘doesn’t blame’ parents for not reporting abuser brother
A brave woman has shared the abuse she suffered as a child at the hands of her father – who turned out to be a prolific paedophile.
Jordanna-Leigh Evans, 26, of West Yorkshire, has spoken of the abuse – which began when she was four years old – in a bid of helping others.
She has said the sexualised relationship with her father, David Evans, 51, felt ‘normal’ growing up because it was all she knew.
And Jordanna, who has waived her right to anonymity, revealed she was only rescued when a friend of hers reported him after seeing bruises on Jordanna-Leigh’s body.
David also sexually assaulted other girls under the age of 16 – and is now in prison.
Abuser David Evans pictured with a young Jordanna-Leigh. He abused her from the age of four up to twelve
Jordanna-Leigh is now trying to rebuild her life and says she is speaking out to help others in similar circumstances
Jordanna-Leigh said: ‘David was really attentive and caring, but not in the correct way for a dad.
‘We had a few comments from others, such as his local people, saying he treated me more like a wife than his kid.
‘I felt like I was inside some sort of cult, as it was our “own world” and he taught me things which weren’t correct, that I believed, as I had no other choice.
‘Even to this day, I’m only noticing certain aspects of life which aren’t deemed “normal”.’
David, who is now serving a minimum eight year term for his crimes – controlled every aspect of Jordanna-Leigh’s life.
The pair lived in ‘dirty’ conditions, staying at hostels for months on end.
As well as the abuse, David would also force his daughter to watch porn with him, leaving the young girl ‘distressed’.
She said: ‘I was too young to understand porn, but I found it distressing.
Jordanna-Leigh (pictured as a teenager) was abused as a child by her father. She is now trying to put the past behind her
‘Because I didn’t have anyone to tell me this wasn’t right, I wasn’t sure how to feel, but I knew I didn’t like it.
‘He kept telling me he was only doing all of this because he loved me, it was sickening… but I believed him.
‘I was only a child, but I knew how to hide my emotions.
‘I turned off any emotion or thoughts just to get through it.’
Aside from his sexual crimes, David also regularly physically and mentally ‘abused’ his daughter, with his ‘extreme’ mood swings quickly became unpredictable.
Jordanna-Leigh felt extremely isolated and was thrilled at making a first real friend.
And it was this friend – who noticed bruises on Jordanna-Leigh’s leg – that informed the police about him.
Jordanna-Leigh pictured as a toddler with her mother, who left her to be raised by her father. Jordanna never talks to her mother
Jordanna-Leigh pictured as a young child. Her father was later convicted on abusing her and others
Jordanna-Leigh (pictured as a baby) was regularly abused by her sick father and made to watch porn
She was abused regularly and only rescued when her friend told the police at the age of 12. She then lived in foster care
Jordanna-Leigh was then placed in foster care – but did not take it well.
She said: ‘I was called into the school office and informed I was being placed into foster care, but I wasn’t happy about the decision.
‘Even though he did all these horrible things to me, he was all I knew and I felt uncomfortable going somewhere completely different out of my weird comfort zone.’
Despite her initial concerns, Jordanna-Leigh, who was 12 at the time, soon felt ‘relieved’ to escape her dad’s clutches.
In a bid to find comfort, she sought out her estranged mother on Facebook, who was living in the US, and soon moved out of foster care to live with her.
Unfortunately, it didn’t work out.
Jordanna-Leigh said: ‘Our relationship failed and we no longer speak.
‘I imagined this amazing mother-daughter bond we would have because of all the years lost, but this wasn’t the case.’
David eventually paid for his crimes, being taken to Leeds Crown Court in 2011.
There, the full extent of his heinous crimes was revealed.
In total, he admitted to 10 offences of making indecent photographs of children.
The jury also found him guilty of five counts of sexual assault on three girls under 16.
He was jailed for life with a minimum of eight years, while Jordanna-Leigh has been left to pick up the pieces of her life.
Now with a partner and a stay-at-home mother of two, she says the scars from her past impact every aspect of her life.
And she says she is still struggling to process what happened to her.
Jordanna-Leigh pictured as a teenager. She was moved into foster care aged 12 and said at first she didn’t like it
Jordanna says she is very grateful to her friend who called the police, meaning she was taken into foster care
Jordanna-Leigh says that many people did not question her father’s inappropriate behaviour and jokes
Now a mother of two, she says that her children bring meaning to her life but that she still suffers from what happened to her
Jordanna-Leigh pictured with one of her children. She says she is scared to let people get close to her
She said: ‘I struggled to understand my emotions when I was a kid, and I still don’t really get them now.
‘I have obsessive-compulsive disorder, PTSD, major depression, and I struggle with constant nightmares as well as anxiety.
‘I struggle building relationships with others, as I’m scared to let people in. It’s all impacted my life massively.
‘With partners, I struggle with showing emotion and I have difficulty looking at sex in a ‘normal’ way.
‘I also worry about this happening to my children, so I’m constantly on alert.’
She said that she ‘grateful’ for her friend coming forward as a child.
She added: ‘I’m not going to let what my dad did taint my life any longer.
‘No child, or human, should ever have to go through what I’ve been through.
‘The greatest gift I could have ever received was eventually becoming a mother.
‘Without them, I wouldn’t be here, as they give my life meaning.’
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