Betrayed

A mother. A daughter. A family torn apart. The powerful memoir from the winner of Richard &amp; Judy's TRUE competition.

A really shocking story...deeply disturbing

extraordinary...an uplifting testament to how a family can survive a nightmare that came so close to breaking them.

This is an almost unbelievable story about malice, childhood suffering and a parent's worst nightmare.

The Woodford Green Bookclub on the Richard & Judy programme

Even if your emotions don't normally run high, this is a book to tear your heart apart, to move you to anger, despair and disgust...

It is a story so extraordinary that you occasionally have to remind yourself that it actually happened... The best thing about this book is that ultimately it is an uplifting testament to the way a family can survive a nightmare that came close to breaking them.

Lyndsey Harris is a pseudonym. All names have been changed to protect the privacy of Lyndsey's daughter.

For the first six years of her life, Sarah Harris was a happy and popular little girl. Until she became the target of a dangerous but invisible enemy - and her life became a living hell. Before long she was suspended from school, alienated from her friends, and terrified of herself. 
 
For her mother, Lyndsey, it was a life beyond her worst nightmares. The daughter she loved so much seemed to have transformed overnight into a child she was almost scared of. Her little girl was doing the unthinkable: stealing razor blades, attempting to poison her friends, even accusing her parents of sexual abuse. 
 
Soon Lyndsey's marriage was on the verge of collapse, social services stepped in, and Lyndsey was fighting to keep her family together - and to save her daughter's sanity. But worse was to come as Lyndsey discovered her family had been victims of the most hurtful betrayal of all...

Shattered

Sometimes a family's love can achieve the impossible. The unmissable third book from Richard &amp; Judy's TRUE competition.

This is an incredibly moving true tale of hope, dedication and above all love.  We defy you not to shed a tear!

An inspirational and moving real life story that proves you can achieve the impossible when you believe enough

astonishing testimony to the power of hope

Mavis lives in Leeds with her husband, Keith. They have two daughters and one son, Matthew.

On 12th October 1995, Mavis Marsh answered her door to the news every parent dreads most. 'It's your son,' the policeman told her. 'He's been in an accident.' Only hours earlier Matthew had been set for a dazzling future but, in one terrible night, a devastating tragedy altered everything. 
 
Days later, Mavis found herself standing at her son's bedside as doctors told her to give up all hope. According to them, the damage to Matthew's brain was too severe for him to recover, and the boy she had known and loved was gone forever. 
 
But Mavis and her husband Keith couldn't give up on their only son. And refusing to accept the diagnosis, they started to work with Matthew themselves, desperately urging their comatose son to fight. For months they tried, to no avail. But then, almost half a year later, he suddenly started to respond ...

Andrew Crofts

Tom Wilson

A harrowing tale of abuse, fear and secrecy

It is difficult to imagine a worse case of child abuse than this

Lord Menzies, commenting on the court case

At just six years old Tom Wilson fell prey to a predator of the worst sort. David Murphy was supposed to be his carer, instead he lifted his victims from their beds in the dead of night, and Tom was powerless to stop it. 
 
Tom endured years of horrific abuse which led to years of silence and self-torture. He grew up to be a troubled man, stumbling through care homes, schools, borstal and eventually prison. The damage that was done to him in those early years had destroyed his life. 
 
Then, one day, Tom read a newspaper article which unlocked the terrible memories he'd kept hidden for over forty tormented years. And a painful battle for justice began...

Tears at Bedtime

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Praise for Tears at Bedtime

A harrowing tale of abuse, fear and secrecy

It is difficult to imagine a worse case of child abuse than this

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