THE DAY MY LIFE CHANGED
Friday 3rd October 2003

The week prior to the 3rd of October, we had been putting up cat pens in a more sheltered place, getting ready for the winter months. Friday we were to clean the house as it had been left. Saturday the 4th October we had a market, so life was very busy. Unfortunatly things did not work out quite as planned, Friday 3rd October 2003 we were awoken at 6.20am to the most frightening banging noise on the window at the side of my bed, and as it was dark, and I am partly deaf, and usually wear 2 aids, the noise was deafening even to me. My husband [John] shouted who is it, I was cowering under the bedclothes in a state of fear , John then thought maybe it was our son Jason who was at that time in the caravan on the garden after an argument with his partner. Still no reply. John then got up and went to the conservatory door, to find 4 plain dressed policemen and I uniformed constable
they pushed their way into the house, waving a piece of paper at him, saying we were under arrest, by this time I had come into the room, absolutely terrified and asked what was it we had done, I was told to get dressed, and go with them to the station, As we live in a cottage that we are still renovating there was no door on the bedroom, it was very difficult trying to get dressed in the wardrobe because I was being watched the whole time, by 2 CID men, in the meantime John had already been ordered to get dressed and had been whisked away in an unmarked police car. By this time I was almost hysterical, that was to stay with me the rest of that morning. I just did not know what was happening to us. I was then bungled into the back of another unmarked police car and taken down to the station. On the way I there I was informed that the SSPCA had been informed of our arrests and would be visiting the house, I was very angry and told them so. Eventually I was searched and my bag was taken and searched, I was then led into an interview room, were I was asked so many questions about my involvement of a child abuse case, God was I scared by this time, couldn’t make sense of any of it, I was given plenty of water to drink as I was in such a state, they said I had an unhealthy relationship with my husband because we always went out together, and that I had married a child abuser and rapist, I was also accused of wearing Black gowns and masks and was into Devil worshipping Satanism and the Sacrifice of animals. I was also accused of being involved in sex orgies with people I had never even heard of or seen, some names I did recognise, but did not know them very well at all, The only people I really knew where John and Pat, as they were friends of mine some years back. Although I did not have much to do with them since my first marriage broke up in May 1997. I remember keep saying to them that we did not know the children or Angie Stretton until about 1998 after I had married John on February 1998, by this time I was so ill I said I was going to be physically sick, I promptly had my head pushed out of the room window and told to get some air. I was then taken to the toilet, given another drink of water and the questions resumed again. All I wanted, was to see John and was working myself up into such a condition, I cannot remember most of the questions after that, As I writing this now the tears are pouring down my face, it’s like reliving the whole ordeal again. About 10.30am I was put into a cell, I had my bra removed at this stage. They gave me a cup of coffee, which was disgusting, I left this in the cell when they eventually came to fetch me back, and I had to ask for my glasses which was met by a disapproving smirk. The questions then became very heavy, they started to shout, at one stage they told me that I used my hearing as an excuse not to hear what I did not want to hear, I had only one aid on that morning, I did not have time to pick up the other on my way out. Eventually they decided to let me go, they did say this was because in one of the girls, statement she had put, If Sue knew what was happening she would have phoned the police. On my release they then gave me back my bra, I wanted to wait to go home with John, One of the CID men went away and came back to tell me that they were not satisfied with his answers and he was being charged. I was then taken home. On arrival the search team had only just arrived, I went into the house, I needed a drink and was told not to touch anything, I told them to piss off as this was my house, and proceeded to have my drink. I then collapsed in the sitting room, someone put me on the settee, don’t know who. I then rang my daughter, she came round straight away, we were told to leave the house while they did the search, and at first I refused but was made to go. This was about 1pm. At approx 4pm we had a call, we could go home. A doctor was called to me at this stage, I still had, had no food, I was given Diazepam to try and calm me down. I never went into the bed again, I slept sat up on the settee until John was released on bail and came home.
Over the next few days I repeatedly phoned the station to enable me to see John, they always refused. I did manage to get some magazines to him to read. I was not allowed to go to the court house on the Monday, as it was supposed to have been a closed court.
He was taken to Inverness Portafield Prison that night; I managed to go to Inverness to see him on the Tuesday, stayed overnight and saw him on the Wednesday. I then got the late ferry home, on the ferry I had a phone call from the SSPCA Calum Watt, he wanted me to hand over 12 cats, 7were kittens I was looking after for a friend, 3 of my own personal cats, this I did. He also wanted me to have 12 cats PTS, and I was to start that night, I was still very ill at this time, traumatised and not eating, still taking Diazepam, I refused Calum until John was home. I went back to Inverness on Monday 13th October and saw John again, and then I was waiting for him to come out of court on the Tuesday after his court appearance for bail. I had booked a caravan for a few days to go to, so we could be together and try to come to terms with what was happening to us.
On our arrival home, I found that I could not sleep in the bedroom at all, it had given me such a fright I was afraid to sleep in there again, approx. June time we moved into the spare bedroom, which is very small while we redecorated the main bedroom, We have moved back in there but I cannot sleep anywhere near the windows, as I have a phobia now that the police will come and get me, I sometimes still have flashbacks to that day, mainly to that morning and the banging on the window. The loneliness set in, we had a few minor problems with the public, but not as many as some, and a lot of people knew John to be innocent. Still that did not take away the fear; we had to see the doctor every other day as I was so ill he did not trust me with tablets. Things became so bad that I did try to take my own life twice, due to the pressure and uncertainty of our future, at this time I had seen a CPnurse, who told me there was nothing they could do for me. Eventually I had to see a Psychiatrist who once again referred me to a CPnurse; again I was told there was nothing they could do for me. In the end I refused to see my Psychiatrist as it was all the same thing, see a CPN. I was told they could not do anything for me until the case was over, what good is that when you don’t know what is happening to you? I then had a breakdown one morning, and was taken to hospital, again was told to see a CPN, again I refused, they could do nothing for me, their words, not mine. In the end I came out of the hospital clutching a prescription for Anti-Depressants, I then went to see my own G.P next day, who did manage to help me. We then decided to buy a caravan and go to the mainland as often as we could, that helped us both. We were at the caravan when the news came to us via a phone call from our lawyer on the 2nd July 2004 saying that the case had been dropped. So far we have had no explanation or apology for what I endured over the last 9months. Todays date is the
7th September 2004 and we still have only received half of our possessions back from the police station.
I am still at this moment in time taking medication. I will never get over the trauma of the past 12 months; it will always be with me.