We call these devastatingly traumatic childhood memoirs ‘agony books’ in the trade. It all seemed to start with Dave Pelzer’s A Child Called It and suddenly the flood-gates were open. In fact this author (she is using a pseudonym) admits it was Dave’s book that gave her the courage to go to the police, which surely must be a good thing. Her’s is a tragic story of abuse, both physical and mental, by her stepfather who was eventually jailed for seventeen years. It’s an awful tale, heartrending, dramatic and powerful.
Jane Elliott fell into the hands of her sadistic and brutal stepfather when she was 4 years old. Her story is both inspiring and horrifying. Kept a virtual prisoner in a fortress-like house and treated to daily and ritual abuse, Jane nonetheless managed to lose herself in a fantasy world which would keep her spirit alive.
Equally as horrifying as the physical abuse Jane suffered, were the mental games her tormentor played – getting his kicks from seeing Jane humiliated, confused, crushed and defeated at every turn.
Her family and neighbourhood were all terrified of Jane’s stepfather so no-one held out a rescuing hand. So Jane had to help herself. When she was 21 she ran away with her baby daughter and boyfriend to start a new life in hiding. Several years on she found the courage to go to the police. A court case followed where Jane bravely stood up against the unrepentant aggressor she so feared. He was jailed for 17 years. Jane’s family took his side.
Jane Elliott is a pseudonym. She first decided to tell her story to the police after taking inspiration from Dave Pelzer's powerful memoir, A Child Called It. She become convinced she should not remain a silent victim but act against the evil stepfather who had kept her a virtual prisoner for so many years.
