One of Nottinghamshire's most notorious abusers Dean Gathercole abused his position as a deputy supervisor at a children's home in Carlton to groom and indecently assault Jane Yeo. Here she speaks to Legal Affairs Correspondent Rebecca Sherdley about her ordeal after waiving her right to anonymity.
Jane Yeo confesses she "adored" Dean Gathercole - the larger-than-life children's home worker - who went on to abuse her on a holiday at Centre Parcs in Nottinghamshire's Sherwood Forest. After Jane ended up at Carlton's First Avenue children's home at 13 following problems at home, everyone trusted she would be in a safe and caring environment.
But that could not have been further from the truth. For five decades, from the 1960s onwards, hundreds of youngsters were abused in children's homes and foster care in Nottinghamshire, and Jane was just one of them.
Gathercole, then 28, indecently assaulted her three times. More historic crimes to add to his abuse rap list.
Read more: One of Nottinghamshire's most notorious abusers groomed girl at children's home
Before he targeted Jane, he had abused girls aged 15 and 16 years, who were residents at Amberdale children's home, in Stapleford, decades ago when he was a social worker. Gathercole was serving 19 years for six indecent assaults and three rapes, reduced on appeal to 17 years, when Jane came forward in 2018, entirely independently, to police with her own complaint of abuse at his hands.
A solicitor was the one to tell Jane that Gathercole was already in prison, serving a long sentence for abusing other girls, prior to his offending on her. This week he was handed four more years for indecently assaulting Jane - when she wrapped her legs around him as he splashed and played with children in a pool at Centre Parcs when she was 14.
A second attack followed, after she was stung by a wasp and her knee doubled in size. Jane, now 45 and living in Suffolk, revealed how she had to stay in the chalet at the holiday park - and Gathercole was the one who looked after her.
He tickled her and got on top of her, which is where she was indecently assaulted again. "I adored him," she told Nottinghamshire Live in an exclusive interview.
"I had a crush on him. Back then I was desperate for love".
How Jane came to report Gathercole
Jane, now a mother-of-four, drove to Nottingham years after her time at First Avenue for her niece's babyshower.
Her sat nav took her on a wrong turn and she ended up in First Avenue. Terrible memories of her time there came flooding back and she suffered a panic attack.
"I wasn't remembering what Gathercole had done - I was realising everything went wrong after", she said. Jane had moved back in with her mum for a while after the abuse.
But her mum's throat was cut by her husband at the time and he was later convicted of attempted murder. Jane says her mum nearly died but they brought her back in the ambulance.
Traumatised, Jane returned to the children's home in First Avenue as her mum was in intensive care. She admits she a rebellious child, a handful for her mum - who she loves dearly and is grateful to for all her support.
Jane's nightmare was far from over back then. Independent and feisty, she walked out of First Avenue and ended up in a council flat in Marple Square, St Ann's, with four adults. She had just turned 15.
After a visit from Social Services, they closed her file, she sadly recalls. She was then forced into drugs, beaten, sexually assaulted and raped by a former boyfriend, who was 12 years older.
He broke her teeth and ribs. She escaped and moved to Suffolk and met another partner who also abusive.
But she fought back. She came off drugs and got a job - and it was there, in employment for the first time, she realised what had happened to her was not normal and was wrong.
"I then met other people who told me the bruises on me were not normal," she said of those women, who are still her closest friends to this day. "I left him but went back to him after he tricked me, saying I had paperwork to sign.
"He held me captive in his car and raped me, and he caused me a lot of damage. I had a bath with bleach to get him off me. I reported him for rape. He was being investigated and he had a good chance of going to prison but he committed suicide in 2005, which took away my ability to have any closure".
She was left with depression, personality disorders, horrendous PTSD. But she finally kicked drugs and sorted her life out, and reported what Gathercole had done.
He had a trial and was convicted. She told how he bought her a Tracy Chapman cassette tape - because he had sung one of her songs in the car.
"He bought me a Maid Marian dress when Miss Selfridge was next to Boots," said Jane. "I wanted the dress so badly. It was £20 to £30, and he bought it for me".
Jane has lifted her lifelong right to anonymity - where she had to sign a waiver for Nottinghamshire Live - to support and help others who are abused. Now an end of life carer, she is there for the vulnerable, and is having therapy.
She is unable to work at the moment due to her mental health, which saddens her, because she is too vulnerable to look after the vulnerable people she looks after.
"I will fight to get better and be strong," she says. "I get flashbacks. I walk down the street and smell aftershave or a song - and it instantly comes back to me and it brings back a memory - and I can't breathe".
Gathercole, 58, formerly of Westcliffe Avenue in Radcliffe-on-Trent, appeared at Nottingham Crown Court over a video link this week for sentencing - he could not be in court for medical reasons. He has lost weight, claims to have had 15 heart attacks and is refusing food.
Without hesitation Jane now calls him a "monster" - someone who groomed her and took advantage. Her friends call her a "warrior", her children say she is a "fighter, and fighters don't cry" - by reporting his abuse and standing up for the children who are victims of abuse.
Recorder Christopher Donnellan KC said there was a 14-year age gap between him and his victim. By the time they arrived at Centre Parcs, he had already formed a relationship with her, and she accepted essentially she had a crush on him.
And he referred to Jane's impact statement, which she bravely read in court, and said her life was disastrous, her young life shocking - and the catalyst appears to be "the abuse she suffered at your hands".
"I'm not sentencing you for any of the violence or rapes or other behaviours inflicted by other men in her subsequent life," said the judge. "I am simply sentencing you for what you did and the consequences and the psychological harm to her".
Jane praised the officer in the case, Sgt Steve Dunn, who has massively supported her and she can't thank him enough. "He has been so amazing...the whole team are..but he is passionate for getting justice for men and women and children who are abused.
"If you can find that little bit of bravery somewhere, come forward. You have been through worse. Because it is worth it, and empowering.
Read next: It took a total of 154 years to bring these abusers to justice after concerns were first raised
"I had to Google where to report it - and I would advise people to call 101 - because it depends where the abuse happened. Local forces have dedicated teams, Nottinghamshire Police has one called Equinox.
"The CPS are amazing - a lady called Debbie at the court - has been there for me for the last five years. She gave me massive hugs, and I am eternally grateful for everything she did for me. Finally, my family, especially my sister Zara, who has driven across the country to court and sat on the phone with me in tears and has been amazing - so thank you".
Colin Pettigrew, Corporate Director for Children and Families at Nottinghamshire County Council, said after the case: “The further conviction of Gathercole would not have been possible without the determination, courage and bravery of this woman. She has waited many years for the truth to be exposed and justice to be served.
"Today, she has seen that. Gathercole was employed 40 years ago in positions of trust for 14 years by the County Council and he betrayed that trust in the most despicable and reprehensible ways.
"This woman and those others, who have survived his horrific crimes whilst in our care as children in the 1980s and ‘90s, should have been offered the highest level of safety and protection and it is clear that they were not. That this is the case is deeply regrettable and I sincerely apologise on behalf of Nottinghamshire County Council specifically to them.
Mr Pettigrew added: “Successive leaders of Nottinghamshire County Council have previously apologised for what they recognise were failings of this council in how it protected children, in this instance decades ago. We and the police continue to investigate any allegations of historic abuse, however long, ago and would encourage any victims who have not yet come forward to do so and they will be fully supported.”
Detective Constable Stephen Dunn, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Gathercole was entrusted to look after vulnerable young people who looked to him for guidance and support. Instead of helping this child through a very challenging period of her life, he chose instead to groom and abuse her for his own sexual gratification.
“His behaviour was simply unforgivable, and I am pleased that he has now been held accountable for these appalling crimes. Above all I am pleased for his victim, who has shown enormous courage and determination in coming forward and revealing what happened to her all those years ago.
“Gathercole may already have been serving a lengthy and well-deserved prison sentence, but we were absolutely determined in this case to get justice for all of his victims. Offences of this nature can have a life-long impact on people and we ask anyone who has experienced such crimes to get in contact with us so we can help them.”
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