‘I felt I was going to be murdered or die by my own hand’

Cassie Moore’s earliest childhood memories are of being abused by her stepfather.

“My first memory was when I was four but I lost my virginity when I was eight,” says the 47-year-old mother of five, whose violent mother cared little for her daughter’s welfare.

The physical pain and the emotional trauma was excruciating, but it was the fear her ordeal instilled in her that had the most lasting effect, ensuring Cassie stayed silent until the last few years.