No More Silence

David had everything. No-one knew the London businessman was born into a world beyond poverty, the son of a rapist father and disturbed mother. Abandoned as a baby, he spent most of his childhood in care and suffered appalling sexual abuse. But no-one knew. But a call from the abuser's wife, 30 years on, proved he was living in a house of cards.

The youngest of five children, David was the son of a drunkard rapist father and a mentally unhinged mother. His father was jailed and his mother deserted the family, leaving five urchins to battle to survive in an inner city Glaswegian slum. Rescued, but separated, David grows up with vague memories of Ma, but no memory of his siblings.

For the next years of his young life David was shipped from pillar to post, until the authorities decided the best place for him and his youngest sister was Quarriers Children's village, where he was delivered into the hands of a paedophile.

Helpless, powerless and alone, it was beaten into David that no-one cared for him and no-one loved him.

Finally David escapes and goes on to build a life of success, determined to bury his secret and never tell anyone what happened to him. Then he receives a phone call from his abuser's wife, and all that he has built comes tumbling down. She asks David to be a character witness on behalf of the man who stole his childhood. Instead David chooses to tell the truth, turning the tide for detectives involved in a massive investigation and changing his own life forever. This is his remarkable story.

About the author

DAVID WHELAN is home delivery co-ordinator at a top London hospital. He is also head of an association of former boys and girls of Quarriers who were abused while in care, and an advisor to the UK and Scottish governments on issues relating to historic abuse.

He lives in London.

MARION SCOTT and JIM MCBETH are a husband and wife team. They are helping David write his story.

Marion is an award-winning journalist who works for Scotland’s biggest selling national Sunday newspaper, the Sunday Mail. As well as winning accolades for her campaigning work on child abuse issues and miscarriages of justice, she has won the Campaigning Journalist of the Year award.

Jim has been writing for national newspapers for 43 years. He currently works for the Daily Mail. He has also contributed to a number of national television and BBC radio documentaries.