A brave teenager has spoken out about the sex abuse she suffered
at the hands of her stepfather, a leading RAF serviceman. Danii Wiblin, has waived her right to anonymity to reveal how she was repeatedly raped and sexually assaulted by Alan Harrison, 43, for more than five years. The brave 17-year-old has told how she summoned up the courage to finally go to police in January this year and hopes her story will encourage other victims of abuse to do the same.
Abused: Danii Wiblin, 17, (left) suffered five years of horrific sexual abuse at the hands of her stepfather Alan Harrison (right)
Miss Wiblin, who lives near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, opened her heart after paedophile Harrison was jailed for 12 years earlier this month. He admitted 11 child sex offences, including raping his step-daughter nine times and making indecent pictures of the attacks.
The horrifying catalogue of abuse began when Harrison was stationed in Oxfordshire, before moving to RAF Honington, Suffolk.
Harrison used to give Miss Wiblin alcohol and 20 cigarettes every time they had sex, his trial at Ipswich Crown Court heard. He even bought her a sex toy and underwear, the court was told, as he bombarded the schoolgirl with texts and phone calls. Miss Wiblin, who was just 11 when the abuse began, said last night that she did not feel as though she had a childhood as a result of the abuse. 'It was taken away from me when I was 11-and-a-half,' she said.
Brave: Miss Wiblin (pictured) spoke out after Harrison was jailed for 12 years earlier this month
The teenager said she felt as though the abuse had robbed her of her innocence. 'I thought it was about time to live the remainder of my life and not let it be ruined by him,' she said.
The courageous youngster revealed that at one point she turned to drink and drugs to help her deal with the mental effects of the abuse she suffered.
'I was smoking at 11,' she said.
Miss Wiblin said that she had contacted the police about the abuse at the age of 13 but that no-one believed her.
'I felt so alone that I dropped the allegations,' she said. Miss Wiblin went back to Suffolk Police in January this year but she revealed that Harrison tried to stop her revealing the truth for a second time.
'He was texting me while I was giving my (police) interview,' she said.
Miss Wiblin is full of praise for the officers who dealt with her case, particularly PC Lindsay Poole, of Suffolk's child protection team.
'I didn't think she was going to believe what I was saying, but she couldn't tell me enough that she believed me. Then Detective Inspector Adrian Randall came into the room and said "I believe you; we all believe you".'
She said the pain she was feeling eased for that split second 'because I was believed.' 'It felt like I wasn't alone after all those years of feeling alone,' she said.
After revealing what happened to the police, she said she began to go 'downhill' emotionally and 'started to feel guilty.'
'How I managed to deal with things was to write notes to myself about my feelings,' she said. 'After a while I stopped that and was suicidal.
'I did a lot of things to hurt myself. That was the wake-up call I needed. She said she now puts all the blame 'and any thought that it was my fault - on to him and it got me through it.'
'I said on (the police) video that despite how much I hate him, I don't really hate him. I hate what he has done to me.'
As the months went on, the traumatic legacy of the abuse continued with Ms Wiblin suffering dark, terrifying moments.
New life: Miss Wiblin has waived her right to anonymity and said she wanted to tell her devastating story to give other abuse victims the confidence to report their attackers
The teenager described having terrible nightmares which stopped her from sleeping.
'I used to scream my eyes out,' she said. 'I was on anti-depressants. I had counselling throughout the case, and then my mental state started to pick up after about three months.'
She said she feels like she has a future now and thanked PC Poole and the other people who have supported her, for helping her pull through.
'If it wasn't for Lindsay Poole and the people around me I don't think I would be here now,' she said. 'But I have got everything now, and I'm starting from scratch.'
Miss Wiblin said she would eventually like to start a charity to help victims of abuse.
'Not just for sexual abuse,' she said, 'but for all [kinds of] abuse. So people have someone they can go to so they can speak about what is happening to them, and you can put them on the right path to the people they need to speak to in order to [get] help.
When she was going through her ordeal, Miss Wiblin said she did not feel she had anyone to talk to. Asked what advice she would give to other children suffering abuse, she said: 'Don't let your fear hold you back, because it was my fear that held me back.
'At the time I had thought I was alone and no-one else was going through the same thing. But if I can do it, others can do it.'
Courage: The teenager says that coming forward to report was the first step to rebuilding her life
Miss Wiblin said that others must not be afraid to speak out.
Sentencing Harrison, Judge David Goodin told him: 'You committed offences of unimaginable gravity in abusing her as you did repeatedly, sustainedly and systematically.
'This sexual activity was unprotected. It included, on occasion, the application of alcohol to ease the path to which you subjected her. It would be difficult, in my judgment, to imagine more serious offences against a little girl.'
Referring to the indecent images Harrison took of himself and Miss Wiblin together, Judge Goodin branded them 'an outrageous indignity for a little girl to deal with.'
As well as jailing him, the judge also made Harrison subject to a sexual offences prevention order without a time limit. He was also added to the sex offenders' register.
