There’s no question that child abuse leaves more than just physical scars on its victims. Yet it can be difficult for many of us to fathom how deep that trauma can go—or how long it can last.
That appeared to be the case with 53-year-old Peter Booth. He claimed that at the tender age of four, he witnessed his stepfather committing an unspeakable crime. Peter was so afraid of his stepfather that he carried this secret with him for several decades.
Now, he’s speaking up, and what he revealed was horrifying…
Upon first glance, there looks to be nothing necessarily wrong with this photograph. Taken in 1968 in the Stockton-on-Tees neighborhood of Haverton Hill in northeast England, little is noticeable about it other than how old and grainy it is.
Yet, in November 2017, the dark story behind the photo finally began to come to light. It involved the man, David Dearlove, now 71, and his stepson, Paul Booth. Baby Paul died in his own home the same year the photo was taken, when he was just 19 months old.According Paul’s brother, Peter, now 53, something truly awful happened that year—and he saw it in his own eyes. Peter kept what he witnessed hidden for decades until the old, grainy photo resurfaced on Facebook in 2015. He couldn’t stay quiet any longer.Peter soon explained what he’d seen to his cousin, Tracey Booth, who relayed his story to the police. According to Peter, Paul’s death all those years ago was no accident—it was a murder. And now, David Dearlove is being investigated for the crime.Peter walked downstairs for some water one night when he saw something extremely traumatic. “[David] was holding Paul’s ankles, he was face-up looking at the ceiling,” he recalled in an interview. “He swung his head and it hit the fireplace.”“Paul let out a yelp and my mother screamed when she came out of the kitchen,” Peter continued. “It was a horrible thud as his head hit. Paul was then on the floor with his arms by his side. Because I was really scared, I ran upstairs.”Peter’s mother, Carol Booth, rushed to a neighbor’s house for help while David tried to resuscitate the baby. At the time, David had told police that the baby died because he had fallen. Yet police are now investigating evidence that Paul’s injuries were intentional. Moreover, Peter claimed that David was frequently abusive to him and his siblings.While it might seem strange to some that Peter would keep quiet for so long, his reasoning was understandable: he was scared because of his stepfather’s abusive behavior. “He would keep me under the water until I was kicking,” he said of the abuse. “He would hide under the bed, then hold your ankles and pull you out so you banged your head.”While David insisted that the death was an accident, he now claimed that it occurred while he and the baby were playing. Consultant pediatrician Dr. Elizabeth Steele, however, disagreed, saying Paul “sustained non-accidental injuries—in other words he had been deliberately assaulted.”David continued to deny all of the charges, including three counts of child cruelty, murder, and an additional charge of manslaughter. Whether or not he was actually guilty, however, may not be revealed until after the upcoming trial.wp paarz / Flickr
Hopefully, as horrifying as this story is, it can help shed light on how deeply abuse can affect victims. It’s never too late to speak up.
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