Child rapist destroyed the person I could have been, woman says

In a statement, the woman said Perry “destroyed the person I had the potential to become”.

“Spending my childhood and early adulthood pretending that what he did to me was normal, was the only way I could cope with the trauma of being abused by him,” she said.

“I have spent my whole life being ashamed and embarrassed about keeping his dirty little secret, as I now know this is what it is, his secret, his wrongdoing, not mine.”

She said she had “developed an eating disorder and obsessive compulsive disorders of various kinds” as a result of what happened and that there were “so many triggers that bring back memories [that] living a normal life seems impossible”.

“Last year my marriage broke down because my husband could not cope with the fact that I kept this a secret in our marriage for so long,” she said.

“Whenever I visit the area, I am always tense and scared in case I see him [and] I often find myself panicking.”

She said after reporting the abuse, she “began taking time off work”, as she was “unable to cope with the feelings of anxiety [and] only felt safe at home”.

“When I returned to work, I had to confide in my boss.

“One day they found me crying because I was struggling… and pretending I was ok, when in fact I was falling apart.

“Before then, I always loved my job and very rarely took time off, but now I doubt my ability to do my job.”

She added that she hoped she could now “get the help I need to recover and mend what he has broken”.

Perry, who showed no reaction as he was sentenced to 20 years in prison, was ordered to sign on the sex offenders register for life and made subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.