‘I was groomed and abused by a taxi driver. Why was it so hard to get justice?’

Only 27 per cent of victims received a referral to a specialist support service - (Getty/iStock)

It started when Lucy* was just nine years old. A taxi driver, who was employed by her parents, began sexually abusing her as he drove her to and from school each day.

The sickening abuse, which lasted until she was 13, had a profound impact on her. She was afraid about what might happen to her if she spoke out, so she suffered in silence until, at the age of 27, she revealed what had happened to her to the police.