protection Archives - The Stray Ferret

Ripon abuse survivor writes book to help others

Jade Kelly’s book ‘The Bad Room’ is a true story of survival.

In it, she shares details of the emotional, physical and mental abuse she suffered as a child.

Jade, is an ambassador for the Maggie Oliver Foundation, which supports survivors of abuse.

The foundation was set up by the police detective turned whistleblower, Margaret Oliver who resigned from Greater Manchester Police and exposed the now infamous Rochdale grooming scandal.

Jade, has rebuilt her life and has been manager of The Navigation pub since moving to Ripon in 2019.

Author Jade Kelly hopes that experiences shared in her book will help others

Following publication of her debut book, she has been invited to speak with professionals across the UK involved in child safeguarding and protection issues.

Jade told the Stray Ferret:

“I hope that by sharing my experiences, I can help them identify tell-tale signs of emotional, physical and mental abuse.”

She added:

“Now that the covid lockdown is lifting, I will be allowed to visit academies and other organisations to talk with them and answer questions.”

For Jade and three other young girls placed in the ‘care’ of a foster mother in Lancashire, the abuse suffered was relentless.

Over six years, their shared bedroom became ‘The Bad Room’ where they were shut up for 16 hours at a time.

They were not allowed to speak and beaten if they made a sound.

The children were banned from using the toilet and often wet the bed, going to school the next day stinking of urine.

They were starved and had to get by on titbits of stolen food.

For Jade, who had previously suffered abuse at the hands of her birth mother and stepfather, the move to foster care when she was ten, should have brought salvation.

However, after a year of being well-treated, the abuse began as soon as the visits of social workers became less frequent.

She said:

“The foster mother was very calculating and would find ways of making it look as though everything was fine for me and the other girls.

“We were too frightened to say anything to the social workers, because we knew it would result in more beatings.”

Jade was kicked, punched, and had hair pulled out.

But there was always a plausible reason given for bruises, cuts and other injuries suffered.

During her GCSE year, the foster mother destroyed all her artwork and English coursework.

Jade, pointed out:

“I had eight weeks to replace a year’s worth of work, but I did it.

“She could destroy my work, but I wasn’t going to let her destroy me.”

When the authorities eventually realised what had been going on, Jade was placed with a caring family and subsequently found justice.

The Bad Room, published by Harper Collins, is available at The Little Ripon Bookshop, Waterstones and WH Smith.

Laura’s Law: Is your ex weaponising your children?

Laura’s Law is a monthly legal column, written by family lawyer, Laura Mounsey. Laura is a partner at Harrogate Family Law. She specialises in dealing with divorced couples and people who have been in abusive relationships. Her role involves protecting her clients’ assets and income if they want to live with someone or get married and resolving disagreements about children.

This week Laura advises on what to do if your ex is weaponising your children.

If you are in the process of separating (or thinking about doing so), you may be terrified about losing your children. You may be worried that your ex will be so intent on ‘revenge’, that they will try to weaponise your children against you.

Typically, by the time that people ask for my help, they tell me that their:

Children’s opinion of them has become very negative
Children are acting out against them and rejecting them
Ex keeps taking their children away from them
Ex has made all sorts of allegations about them as a parent

It isn’t uncommon for children to struggle with their parents’ separation. However, sometimes your ex may throw your children into the middle of a conflict by manipulating their view of you and burdening them by having to ‘choose a side’. Being bombarded with such responsibility and pressure can cause them significant distress.

It is not fair for your ex to try to damage your children’s relationship with you. However, it can and does happen. It’s likely to get worse the longer you leave it. Sadly, I have seen an increase in this behaviour during the pandemic lockdown. Particularly where children have been withheld from seeing one of their parents.

Often, if you approach your ex on your own and challenge them about the way that they are treating your children, they will deny it. This often backfires and allows your ex to spin your concerns against you, as if you are in the wrong. This can leave you feeling trapped without a way out.

Does this sound familiar?

When you separate, your children need you both more than ever and that should be a priority. However, your ex may see your children as a way to get what they want, regardless of what damage they may cause getting there.

It isn’t impossible to deal with your ex’s behaviour however it is time critical because the more you delay, the more damage may be done. To disarm your ex, for your children’s sake as well as your own, it is vital that you reach out.

You should also consider:

Telling your ex in writing about your concerns and set out why
Keeping a log of what has been happening
Asking for professional support for you and/or the children

This is particularly important, now that we are in another lockdown. Even though we cannot meet in person for now, you can still reach out and get help. The court is also still open, so you are not alone.

To find out more about Laura and her speciality in family law, click here.

COLUMN: Are you married to a narcissist?

This legal column is written by family lawyer, Laura Mounsey. Laura is a partner at Harrogate Family Law. She specialises in dealing with divorced couples and people who have been in abusive relationships. Her role involves protecting her clients’ assets and income if they want to live with someone or get married and resolving disagreements about children. In this column, she discusses the red flags to look out for that indicate you may be married to a narcissist and how to get out.

I have experienced the trauma of divorcing a narcissist first-hand. I am now a lawyer who specialises in helping people who are terrified of standing up to them.

Typically, I find that many of my clients have been conditioned to think that they have no self-worth. They have been controlled and bullied for years. They believe that any wrongdoing is their fault and that they do not deserve any better. The idea of saying “enough is enough” paralyses them with fear; so worn down, they feel trapped with no way out.

Over time, I have heard many people who sit in front of me say that their ex is:

Controlling

They tell them what to do and what not to do. They are scolded for “stepping out of line”. However, the rules always change, and they never win. Instead, they live their lives walking on eggshells.

Arrogant

They think they are superior and expect that others cater to, and admire, them. Even though they have inflated self-esteem, beneath it, hides crippling insecurities which cause them to lash out.

Vain

They are obsessed with what other people think about them. They will put others down to make themselves seem better than they are. They are obsessed with attention and will often play the victim if needed.

Manipulative

They will often lie and pin people against each other. They will isolate people and are prepared to do anything to get what they want. Often, they undermine others around them so much that they start to question their own judgement, not their ex.

Does this ring any alarm bells?

Leaving a narcissist is daunting. A client once told me that her ex would do everything in his power to destroy her so that she ended up in a shoe box on the Stray with nothing but her children.

But she held her nerve and took the plunge, broke free and now has a very comfortable life that is all hers.

If, like her, you know deep down that you need to leave but you do not know what to do, the best thing that you can do is get specialist advice from a divorce lawyer who knows what you are dealing with.

Ripon cafe takes tentative step towards opening

Ripon city centre cafe Oliver’s Pantry is welcoming customers once more with the launch of a takeaway service – and aims to do more in the coming weeks.

For owners Tim and Lou Grant, the hope, along with other businesses in the hospitality sector, is for social distancing restrictions to ease from the current two metres to one metre.

They are planning for the day when customers can sit in to eat the buns, cakes, pastries and meringues upon which the cafe has built its reputation.

Lou told The Stray Ferret:

“We are making tentative steps as we test the water and think about what can be achieved in the space we have available, while meeting all of the social distancing and hygiene requirements, brought about by the coronavirus crisis”

She added:

“We have had a purpose-made perspex screen put in place at the counter and it’s one customer in at a time for the takeaway service, where a one way system operates.”

Things have gone well and Lou and Tim and are quietly optimistic, while also being realistic as they adapt to the ‘new normal’ that will see them having to reduce the number of tables they have by approximately half to comply with the two metres of distance rule.

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