WARNING!! This interview contains references to abuse and drug use which may upset some readers.
Stacey, 25, was groomed when she was 12 and entered a life of prostitution, becoming addicted to drugs and at the mercy of her pimp who controlled her heroin habit.
Redhotrio: How did you end up being in the clutches of this evil man?
Stacey: I was young and my parents were poor. We had very little and they were always arguing about money. I never had nice clothes or luxuries like my friends. When someone offers you everything when you have nothing, it’s very appealing, especially if you’re naive and don’t know any better.
RHR: How did he find you?
S: He used to park up outside when school let out. He was good looking and well dressed, driving a Mercedes. He had tried to speak to a couple of my friends but they ignored him, I wish I had in hindsight. He used to tell me I was pretty and said that I should be a model. Then he started giving me gifts such as jewellery and money. Eventually I agreed to meet up with him. He seemed kind and gave me attention when my parents didn’t because they were too wrapped up in going to work and worrying about money.
RHR: So, how did he reel you in?
S: After I’d met him a couple of times, always in a public place, he asked me to go to a party with him. I lied to my parents and said that I was staying over at a friend’s house. When I got to the party, he was encouraging me to drink alcohol because he said I acted so much older and was like a woman to him even though I was only 12. I kept saying no but he was very persuasive so I ended up drinking and it made me feel sick. He gave me a tablet then and he had one too. I think it was ecstasy, and I was gone after that. All of the people at the party were adults, which made me uncomfortable. I went to one of the bedrooms with him. That was when he kissed me and told me that he wanted me to be his girlfriend. That made me happy because I was so besotted with him by then. He told me he wanted to make love to me, so of course I let him and he took my virginity. I felt ashamed afterwards but he told me that he loved me and that I was his girl and a real woman now.
RHR: When did you realise that he wasn’t as nice as he appeared?
S: I was spending more time with him, even skipping school to be with him. My parents started to worry because I’d lost lots of weight. I was addicted to drugs by then. He gave me everything; speed, pills and eventually heroin. One day we went to his house. I’d never been there before, and there were women sitting in their lingerie. His mood changed and he said that I worked for him now and had to pay him back for all of the drugs he’d given me. I was crushed. He told me that everything he said had been bulls**t and if I didn’t do as he said then he would kill my parents. I was terrified. I remember one of the women putting makeup on me and I was having a
really bad comedown. He said once I’d done some work, then he would reward me with some drugs. I’d realised by now that the house I was in was a brothel. The woman took me upstairs to a small bedroom and locked me in. They say you always remember your first client and mine was fat and smelt of cigarettes. I was screaming the whole time he was f***ing me, but I think he got off on that to be honest.
RHR: At this point of the interview I was crying my eyes out.
What did your parents do? This makes me so upset and angry. I’m so sorry that this happened to you.
S: Crying also
I always get upset when I tell my story, but I share it to help others and show that I understand their anguish because it happened to me. I didn’t tell my parents anything. I packed a bag and ran away. I didn’t want him to hurt them and I was too young to realise that I was being manipulated. My parents did look for me of course, but they would have never found me, not where I was. I wasn’t allowed to go out and I was constantly supervised, even when I went to the toilet. I was locked in that room, servicing as many clients as he wanted me to each day. The heroin numbed a lot of it and I couldn’t remember what had happened most days. I was a sexual prisoner. This routine continued for three years until I got pregnant.
RHR: What happened to the baby?
S: He wanted me to abort it but didn’t want to take me to a clinic because they would see the state I was in and start asking questions. I was malnourished and I looked like death. He threatened to throw me down the stairs so I’d miscarry, but in the end he drove me to a bus stop and dropped me there saying that he’d had his fill of me and I was a bit too old for him now anyway because he liked them young. Getting pregnant saved my life.
A woman found me shivering and totally out of it. When I came round I was in hospital and my parents were sitting next to my bed. The woman had managed to get my name and address out of me. My parents couldn’t believe I was alive. They had given up hope of finding me.
RHR: What happened then?
S: I did have an abortion. I didn’t want to have a baby that came from being sexually abused. I then spent a long time in recovery, getting off drugs and sorting out my mental health. It took a few years before I finally felt semi normal again.
RHR: Tell me about your life now.
S: I went to college and studied social work. I wasn’t going to let what happened to me ruin my life and wanted to help girls like me and show them that you can still have a life even if you have gone through something so traumatic. I counsel people and offer support and advice and help them to start again. I deal with lots of drug users and girls of all ages that have been forced into prostitution against their will. I’m happy to say that I have never relapsed.
RHR: Good for you. Did the man who did this to you get punished for his crimes? S: Yes, eventually. My mother wanted to take him down and they needed me to give evidence. At first I was too frightened, but once I’d gotten a bit better, I realised I had to stop him from
doing this to other young girls. He was arrested as well as several of the women who worked at the brothel because they were complicit in his crimes. I’m glad that justice was served.
RHR: Has this stopped you having relationships?
S: Romantic ones, yes. I don’t trust anyone and I feel like sex is dirty. I still have my own issues, even though I help others. I’m very wary of making friends with people too. I prefer being a loner. I’m very lucky to have come out the other side. I’ve known people who were on hard drugs that never got better and ended up overdosing. I am here to tell the tale and for that I am grateful.
If you or anyone you know is being forced into prostitution against their will, contact National Ugly Mugs at https://nationaluglymugs.org. You can get help and report the incident to the police.
If you are struggling with addiction, do not suffer in silence. Contact www.mind.org
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