A woman who suffered years of sexual abuse at the hands of her uncle said she will never know "what it would be like to be me".
Irene Fonseca, nee Jenkins, was subjected to years of sexual abuse by her uncle when she was a child growing up in the 1960s and 70s. But after her abuser Anthony Mock was jailed at Liverpool Crown Court last week, Irene has bravely waived her anonymity under the Sexual Offences Act to tell her story.
The 59-year-old, who lives in Anfield, claims she was also molested by her late father as a child. She said her uncle, who is her mum's brother, stepped in and rescued her from that abuse but in a horrifying turn began to abuse her himself.
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Speaking to the ECHO just days after Mock was jailed, Irene said: "My uncle saw what was happening with my father and used that to his advantage. My uncle stepped in to rescue me but in turn started abusing me.
"My uncle would take me on drives and would say 'I know what your dad is doing, we need to do something about that'. But he would be abusing me as well. I had a second abuser the whole time who I could never speak about."
Irene's late father was found not guilty of sexually abusing her in 1979. Irene went to stay with her nan, where her uncle also lived. The mum-of-four said: "While there, my uncle was in control of proceedings while sexually abusing me". This continued for years, pausing briefly when she moved into a new home to live with her mum and brother.
But Mock soon followed them to this address and Irene's hell resumed. It wasn't until she was 17 and in a relationship that her uncle finally stopped molesting her.
Irene said: "My uncle was eventually asked to leave by my mum. I was 17 and was in a relationship with a boy I was engaged to. My uncle came in and screamed at me for being in bed with him - he was like a jealous husband. He was a lunatic and went to my mum to express his anger but my mum said 'it's nothing to do with you, given the circumstances you should leave'."
Irene kept silent about her ordeal, only opening up 10 years later in a counselling session, but she still felt unable to go to the police. She moved to Somerset where she lived before moving back to Liverpool in 2010. She had confided in an aunt about the years of abuse and in around 2018 she finally felt able to speak openly about it.
A Merseyside Police investigation began and Irene was told there were other victims. Mock, who is now 75 and gave his last address as being on Aigburth Road, was charged with a litany of sexual offences including 10 connected to his prolonged abuse of Irene.
These included charges of rape of an under 16, as well as indecent assault of a child over 13 and under 13. Mock was found guilty of 13 charges on March 8 - and last week was jailed for 21 years.
The court heard Irene's powerful victim statement which documented how the abuse as a child continues to affect her to this day. The statement, released to the ECHO, said: "How do you write about the damaging effects of sexual abuse and rape on a person without turning it into a book? How do you put into words that you’re not who you were born to be? The effects completely change your personality. It seeps into your very being.
"It is always there and always will be. It is the person you are now. The person you have become. The scars it leaves aren’t always visible, but they are always there in every broken relationship, every lost job, every decision you make and in every breath you take.
"It takes away any schooling, your ability to work and your ability to thrive. It changes how you see the world and how the world sees you. It affects the choices you make and your ability to trust.
"It takes your self-respect, self-belief, your self-control, your self-worth, and your ability to love. It makes you angry, it makes you sad. It makes you feel so alone that you just want to curl up and die. Never knowing a life free of pain, panic attacks, flashbacks, nightmares, stress, and anxiety.
"Never knowing what it would be like to be me. If only I could have led a life free of sexual abuse and abuse in all its forms, because how we experience the world makes us who we are."
Speaking after Mock was jailed, Detective Chief Inspector Mark Drew said: "Mock put all his victims through decades of horrific abuse that caused them great psychological and physical harm. I would like to thank the victim for her bravery in not only coming forward but disclosing exactly what happened through interviews with our detectives.
"By re-living some of the worst parts of her life in court she has ensured Mock will spend the rest of his life behind bars. I truly hope this sentence gives his victims a sense of justice and comfort. If you have experienced any form of sexual abuse, or know of a child being abused, please come forward and report this to police."
The DCI added: "Time is no barrier to reporting offences and I would urge anyone who has been victim of a sexual offence at any time to come forward and we will do everything we can to help and support them."
Irene said her four children have "given me the strength to keep going". She told the ECHO: "My life has been totally destroyed - I want his name in the paper because no one knows what he did to me.
"I hope me waiving my anonymity gives other victims the hope to come forward and not suffer alone. No matter how long it takes, your day will come."
Anyone with information or who wants to report a sexual offence allegation is asked to call 101, where you will be spoken to by specially trained officers. You can pass information to Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or via or @MerPolCC on social media. Call 999 if you suspect such an incident is in progress.
If you are a child or young person suffering sexual or physical abuse, the following organisations can also provide help and support: NSPCC – call 0808 800 5000 or e-mail help@nspcc.org.uk / Childline – call 0800 1111. Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre Cheshire and Merseyside, who can be contacted on 01925 221 546 or 0330 363 0063 or Rape and Sexual Assault Merseyside (RASA) on 0151 558 1801.
If you do not require immediate police assistance then you can report rape and sexual assault via our website here: https://www.merseyside.police.uk/ro/report/rsa/alpha-v1/advice/rape-sexual-assault-and-other-sexual-offences/. Support is also available through the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Victim Care Merseyside service: Home: Victim Care Merseyside
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