A man abused as a child by a GP once described as a “pillar of the community” has told victims it’s never too late to come forward after his attacker was finally exposed as a paedophile.
Dr Robin Borthwick, of Bradfield, Berkshire, first targeted his victim, a boy aged eight, in the 1970s and the abuse continued until he was 14.
Like many survivors of abuse, the boy kept quiet and struggled with trauma, depression and suicidal thoughts throughout much of his adult life.
It wasn’t until 33 years later that he finally confided in a counsellor about what he had been subjected to.
This week, more than 40 years after the attacks began, he finally got to look Dr Borthwick in the eye at Reading Crown Court, where he appeared charged with four counts of indecent assault.
Although Dr Borthwick, now 78 and suffering with dementia, has been deemed unfit to stand trial, jurors concluded he had abused the boy in trial of facts on Friday. Jurors found Dr Borthwick indecently assaulted the complainant, who was not a patient, at a surgery and in two other locations in the 1970s and 1980s.
Speaking to The Independent, his victim, now 55, said: “He portrayed himself as a larger than life character, not just a local GP but a pillar of the community – churchgoing and latterly a family man, a golf club member.
“But he was hiding a dark secret. There was a Jekyll and Hyde element to this. He was a predatory paedophile. I am sure that his local community will be only too keen to hear what kind of person that he was and to learn the truth.
“That has been what’s important to me throughout this. The main driver is just getting to that truth. That I was sexually abused by him over a long period of time and that’s the sort of person that he is.”
In court, the survivor told jurors that the attacks had left him “wondering what had happened, I was terrified”. He said that later on Dr Borthwick told him “not to tell anyone and if I did no-one would believe me”.
Speaking to The Independent, he described the weight of living with Dr Borthwick’s attacks as a “relentless, constant battle for survival”.
“I have suffered emotional trauma, I have suffered with relationships, I have been self-destructive. I have had suicidal thoughts for as long as I can remember. I have felt quite honestly that if I died I would be free from the ongoing mental anguish and free from the pain of being victim to a paedophile,” he said.
It is not known if Dr Borthwick abused any other children. But he urged any other victims of sexual abuse to speak up, adding: “I would say that most psychiatrists and psychologists say that it’s very unusual for a paedophile to have a single victim.
“Abusers thrive on silence. By coming forward, even if I just encourage one more victim, then that’s good. It’s more than just simply speaking the truth. It shows people it’s never too late to come forward.”
After Dr Borthwick was arrested and interviewed, he admitted his crimes to a monk at his church, adding that he thought the boy would “like it”, investigating officer Joanna Williams, of Thames Valley Police, explained.
Giving evidence, Father Peter Bowe, a monk at Douai Abbey in Woolhampton, told the court that after a mass in February 2022, Dr Borthwick asked to speak to him and confessed he had “touched a boy”.
Father Bowe said: “After mass he asked could he have a word. I took him to a room where we were alone.
“He wanted to tell me that the police had been to see him and had told him that there was an alleged incident of sexual abuse by him many years before and he told me that in confidence, but not in confidence of what we call sacrament of confession.
“He told me in confidence and I knew immediately I would have to speak to the safeguarding officer in the parish. I said that to him, I said what you’ve told me I will have to tell safeguarding and possibly the police. He told me the police have already been.
“He told me that years before he had sexually assaulted, I don’t know whether he used that word, he touched a boy.”
The survivor added: “When I heard that he thought I would enjoy it – it felt like a hammer blow. We are talking about a GP and an eight-year-old child.
“Any right thinking person would find that utterly repugnant. What would his hundreds of patients – many of whom had intimate examinations – think hearing that?”
Judge Neil Millard said the only possible disposal for the case was an absolute discharge.
If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, The Samaritans offers support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.
For services local to you, the national mental health database – Hub of Hope – allows you to enter your postcode to search for organisations and charities who offer mental health advice and support in your area.
