A woman sexually abused by her babysitter has revealed she had to fight for years for him to be brought to justice – due to missing paperwork.
Edna Booth was subjected to a seven-year campaign of abuse by Alexander Graham.
He started targeting her when she was just six and he was supposed to be looking after her.
After finally summoning up the courage to speak out, Miss Booth – who has waived her anonymity – went to the police in 2001.
But despite dozens of phone calls pleading for action, it took 13 years for Graham to face justice in court. Last month, he was jailed for eight years.
Yet Miss Booth, of Forres, last night said she was still seeking closure – after prosecutors told her missing paperwork had been behind the delay, sparking even more questions.
An investigation has now been launched by the Crown Office.
But the 52-year-old is refusing to accept an admin error could have helped her abuser escape punishment.
She said: “After the case at the high court I was told a piece of paper had gone missing and I should be grateful he had been jailed, because he would have been let off all those years ago.
“I was just so angry. There’s no way I can accept that. I was right all along – that man had abused me.
“I had already lost everything, my life had been ruined, but I just wanted to be believed. I was shocked when I was told they couldn’t charge him.”
Miss Booth gave statements to the police in Aberdeen about the abuse she had suffered as a child when she lived in the city.
After dozens of phone calls to officers for more than a decade, a meeting was arranged in 2014 to discuss the allegations.
Within days, the matter was passed to the child protection unit in Aberdeen, which led to the case going to the High Court in Glasgow earlier this year.
A jury convicted Graham, of North Grampian Circle, Aberdeen, of four charges involving Miss Booth, including forcing her to commit sexual acts and exposing himself to her on various occasions between 1970 and 1977.
Last night, Miss Booth said: “For 13 years nobody listened to me. Someone obviously did in the end but I’ve had to go through all these years of torment.
“I just felt I couldn’t get on with my life until I knew what was happening with the case.
“I thought the verdict and the sentence would bring closure for me, but I need to know why it took so long to happen.”
After escaping the abuse in Aberdeen, Miss Booth was taken to Manchester by a man she has described as a “good Samaritan” so she could start to rebuild her life.
She moved to Forres about a year ago and is now urging victims of sexual abuse early to speak out to save themselves years of torment.
A Crown Office spokesman said: “We are aware of the issues raised and will respond directly to the individual concerned once the matter has been fully investigated.”
