‘My evil stepdad sexually abused me for years and I used to wet the bed to avoid him’
A woman who was sexually abused by her stepfather from the age of eight said she would wet the bed every night so he wouldn’t hear her going to the toilet.
Rachel Maughan, now 29, has spoken for the first time about the horrific daily abuse she suffered for three years growing up at the hands of convicted pedophile Andrew Malone.
The monster came into Rachel’s life when he met her mother in 2002 and moved into the family home when she was just six.
But what began as a seemingly ‘loving’ relationship as he became a ‘father figure’ quickly fell into a terrifying cycle of grooming and abuse.
Malone started to sexually abuse Rachel daily from the age of eight until his eventual arrest when she was 11.
Rachel Maughan is now 29 years old
The abuse got so bad that Rachel said she would wet the bed at night, as she would be worried about what he would do if he heard her go to the toilet.
Waiving her right to anonymity, Rachel, a stay-at-home mum, from Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, said: “The abuse was daily, every night at least, if not through the day sometimes – he saw a window of opportunity with my family.
“The abuse progressively got worse over time, and there was penetration.
“I remember feeling so uncomfortable.
“I used to wet the bed all the time, as I knew that if I went to the toilet, he would hear me coming out of the bedroom.
“What happened was horrific but I don’t feel like a victim anymore, I am a survivor.”
Rachel was still just 13 Malone pleaded guilty to five counts of indecent assault, one count of assault on a child under 13 by penetration, and five counts of sexual assault of a child under 13 in September 2008 at Exeter Crown Court.
The following month, he was sentenced to seven years behind bars for abuse against Rachel.
She who originally shared her story with Talk to the Press, said: “I was only young when he went to court. I remember having to do a video diary explaining what had happened.
“I remember a lady and a man showing up, saying they wanted us to speak to them.
“I remember feeling really sick, and really scared to go and be videotaped – I remember calling him dad a lot during the videotape.
“Looking back now, he is sick, reading back about what he did, it was awful to read.
“My son, he is eight, he is not much older than I would have been when the abuse started – I don’t know what was going through that monster’s head.
Reflecting on her childhood, Rachel said she felt groomed by Malone, who she claims would often get her to refer to him as her dad.
“I don’t know why anyone would want to do that to a child.”
Reflecting on her childhood, Rachel said she felt groomed by Malone, who she claims would often get her to refer to him as her dad.
At the age of eight, Rachel claims that Malone started sexually assaulting her, which then led to penetration.
She added: “It wasn’t sexual straight away, he acted like a dad to me.
“He would say he loved me and he was my dad, and then he turned.
“I remember a couple of situations that were the worst things to have happened to me.
“On one occasion, the first occasion, was bad, I remember feeling really uncomfortable.
“It still makes me uncomfortable to this day.
“It got progressively worse from there, and there was penetration down the line.”
The abuse against Rachel only ended when she was 11, after Malone was arrested by police.
After Malone was sentenced, Rachel was moved out of her family home and placed in foster care.
“It was a big fear when I was younger that he would try to contact me,” Rachel said.
But the impact of his actions has continued to this day.
Rachel, who is a mum of two, said the abuse she faced as a child has made her a lot more anxious as a parent.
She said she would have “overwhelming anxiety” after the birth of her daughter, aged three.
“I was a little girl myself when this happened to me,” Rachel added.
“Sometimes when she is running around a swimming pool or in a nappy, I would feel very anxious.
“It shouldn’t be something you have to be nervous about. I always remain vigilant – I knew the signs to look out for.”
Since her childhood, Rachel has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease, both of which she believed were brought on by the abuse she faced as a child.
But Rachel said she wanted to now share her story to try and empower other victims.
She added: “It is a bad story what happened to me, but I want it to be a survivor story.
“I want people to know the extent, as I went through a horrific amount of abuse.