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Sexual abuse: 'I have lived through hell for years'

A woman who was sexually abused by her cousin as a child has said she has "done right by that little girl" by speaking up.

Claire Rafferty's cousin David Andrews pleaded guilty to several crimes and was given a suspended sentence in April.

However, an investigation into her case began in 2018.

Figures show the most serious criminal cases take longer to be processed in Northern Ireland compared to other parts of the UK, with sexual offences taking almost two years on average to complete.

Ms Rafferty told BBC News the past four years of her life have been "kind of on standby" and she would have been in a "much stronger place mentally" had it been concluded sooner.

Read full story here.

3 August 2022

Sexual violence

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