Hailey's Story--She Was an Eleven-Year-Old Child. He Was Soham Murderer Ian Huntley. This is the Story of How She Survived

by Hailey Giblin

  I don’t want to be involved with some young thug more interested in swilling booze, hitting the drugs or out there just nicking cars and breaking into old people’s houses and causing trouble on a Saturday night.

  I would prefer to sit at home with a bottle of wine, chatting on a Saturday night. That is the way I enjoy myself. I like living the fast life but, sometimes, when it gets too fast, I need to slow down a bit and think about what I am doing.

  Having added stability to my life, I decided to take steps to bring closure to a part of my life that would otherwise always haunt me. In August 2004, having written a letter to the Humberside Police telling them how unhappy I was at the treatment I had received and how they conducted the inquiry in 1998, I received a letter from Detective Chief Superintendent Gavin Baggs. This outlined the form of the inquiry into Huntley that the police would undertake at my request.

  I feel they have breached my human rights by putting me through this for a year and it has left me feeling very bitter. It was probably the worst day of my life. I felt like a disbelieved 11-year-old all over again!

  The police promised to return paperwork, which has not been returned to me at the time of writing, late 2005. However, what they did give to me was far more sacred than paperwork: the police interview of me from 1998, on videotape. Some readers may have seen extracts of the video interview on ITN News on British ITV and many European news channels. What I said in that lip-biting, stomach-churning interview as a child was pretty damaging.

  I now feel that the only line of attack that I have left to bring closure to this ordeal is to have Huntley sentenced in court for what he did to me. Even if it were only a light token sentence, it would make me happy to think, Yes, now you are getting punished because you are spending that extra day in prison because of me. It’s because of what you did to me that you are being punished.

  At present, I feel that he’s just laughing in the face of the police. No doubt this book will provoke some comment from them, even if in private, and I want that comment to be aimed at Huntley, not me. Remember, it is Huntley who caused all this, not me.

  Right now he’s in his cell and he’s laughing; he knows he’s a celebrity convict, a trophy to be held aloft for all to see, while in private he will get all he demands, even bottles of vodka. And, if in 25 years’ time they come up with some wonder drug that can curb what these evil monsters do, then he could be out even sooner than 40 years from now – just as in my nightmare.

  On the other hand, if I were to kill him, would I get 25 years in prison and would I be branded the same? If I were to see him in the street, I wouldn’t be able to control myself. I don’t want this man to be freed in 40 years’ time, but neither do I want him dead. I want his living hell to continue for as long as my living hell goes on. I want him to be kept alive for as long as I am living my nightmare.

  However, I do fear that there is a likelihood that he could eventually be freed. In order to stop that from happening, I would like to hammer home the final nail in his coffin by bringing a private criminal prosecution, which I am allowed to do. But only time will tell if I do.

  Huntley hates the word ‘paedophile’ and says, ‘I’m no paedophile.’ Well, plainly, he is a paedophile. By putting your hands into a little girl’s knickers in a sexual way, that is what you are, and, if you don’t want to be classed as that, don’t do it.

  This man considers himself to be a different type of criminal. He thinks that he is a celebrity, and he is relying on that celebrity status to make things happen. He knows if he threatens to kill himself they will jump for him, as they don’t want him dead. He knows if he so much as coughs the press will be there to pick it up. It’s his way of exerting control, and he’s still at it.

  I often wonder, What if they reintroduced capital punishment? No, hanging’s too easy and it’s too quick. I want people to walk past him and take chunks off him, or somebody to do something to him that would give him nightmares, but to make him pay and to hurt him mentally, physically, every way that you possibly could, the way that he did to me. Most of my scars are on the inside. I’m still a living victim. I haven’t recovered. I don’t think I will.

  The girls that came forward at the time have made complaints, but our screams for help fell on deaf ears, on cold hearts; that’s how I see it.

  Right now I just want a normal, peaceful life with no screaming and shouting, nobody there unless I feel safe with them and nobody to ever hurt me again. I want to stand up and fight and be the independent person that I am.

  Most abuse victims have the feeling of self-blame: I’ve been sexually abused and nobody will want me now. I would like to help them by example to show that the feeling of self-worth can be restored. To those who have suffered sexual abuse of any sort, I say there is always light at the end of the tunnel.

  I have great respect for those working with children that are going off the rails. I would like to tell them my story or for them to read my book and I hope that it will go on to inspire them to know that life doesn’t stop just because of the abuse they have suffered. I know this has happened to me. I have had years and years of torment and troubles, but one day I will be able to grow up strong and further my career in whatever I want to do. You can be somebody rather than just sit and think that your life has come to an end. Have faith.

  For all the victims out there, have a voice and if the police try to fob you off with ‘Sorry, we don’t have enough evidence’, just keep fighting. You have a right to fight. While paedophiles, abusers and their kind are out there, we all have to fight them. Even women who have put up with it for 30 years, try to put your foot down and think, I don’t want this to happen to my siblings, my children and my friends’ children or to anybody else. To have a voice and keep shouting and shouting and shouting until somebody listens is what is important, and that is what I intend to do.

  I also want to embark on a lingerie-modelling career to show the world that, just because you have been a victim, you don’t necessarily have to be pushed around by someone who ruined your childhood. I still want a career in modelling, not to prove to anybody else, but to prove to myself, that I am capable of doing something that I enjoy doing and, hopefully, be an inspiration to other children, to other sufferers, other victims. I will always stand proud for who and what I am.

  Something came to my notice during the course of my creating this book; it was a newspaper headline that read: ‘Disgraced officer to face “hell of all hells”’. This was to do with the disgraced Soham Inquiry police officer Detective Constable Brian Stevens, who gave the police a false alibi when faced with allegations that he downloaded child porn to his laptop.

  I read with concern that the family of Jessica Chapman said that they felt betrayed that Stevens, their liaison officer, used their grief to bolster up his defence in his trial at the Old Bailey, which may have helped him secure the rather lenient prison sentence of eight months for conspiring to pervert the course of justice.

  What made matters worse for me was when I read of the involvement of a female executive officer for the CPS, Louise Austin, who provided the alibi for Stevens. She was given a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years.

  This ‘hell of all hells’ Stevens was meant to be facing pales into insignificance compared with the pain endured by an abuse victim. At least Stevens was released from his prison sentence. Abuse victims never escape their time behind scars.

  Grandly betraying the trust placed in him by family members when he was asked to read a poem at the celebration of life service at Ely Cathedral, he tainted for ever what should have been a poignant reminder of Jessica Chapman’s life.

  So many lives have been ruined by the acts of Huntley, a wantonly evil man, and all those he came into contact with bear some type of psychological scarring. I have made little mention of Maxine Carr, who lied for Huntley and now she pays the price, for ever a prisoner to those circumstances, always in need of constant protection from the threat of violence that shado
ws her closely guarded life.

  In drawing your attention to my story, I hope I have shown the sensationalism attached to Huntley and how he has achieved the ultimate power that he never gained before.

  Huntley will not be considered for release from prison until he is 69. This was decreed by High Court judge Mr Justice Moses, who ordered that he must serve a minimum sentence of at least 40 years – minus the 14 months he spent on remand before his trial.

  This long-awaited announcement had been delayed because Huntley’s trial ended when the law relating to the setting of prison tariffs was changing.

  Mr Justice Moses said, ‘His actions in pretending to exhibit innocent concern after the murders demonstrate his lack of remorse.’

  Although the judge emphasised, ‘I have not ordered that this defendant will not spend the rest of his life in prison,’ this did not mean that he would not spend the rest of his life in prison.

  I am younger, stronger and a born fighter, and one day I will see the whites of Ian Huntley’s eyes, and, although he has locked me behind bars, incarcerated me, for the rest of my life, we have that in common, but I have the key to my cell door, which he can never again close on me.

  I want to ‘rid’ myself of the tag ‘Huntley’s Victim’. I know that real people like and respect me for being me – Hailey Giblin. Ian Kevin Huntley was born a bastard and will die a bastard. I used to think that I needed him to admit his crimes for me to obtain the closure I desperately longed for.

  When I had almost finished writing this book, something dawned on me, and I now understand that this was just another hold Huntley had over me and his other victims. So I have a message for you, Ian Huntley: one day, I will see the whites of your eyes once more and we can then do it the easy way or the hard way. And, finally, I don’t need your admission of guilt to feel believed. Your selfish, perverted actions spoke louder than words.

  Now, too, I realise that some of the contents of this book may well hurt some people. I can only be me and I can only be honest, and, for being just that, I am sorry.

  At the end of 2005, I asked the Humberside Police Force for witness statements and case notes relating to my attack from 1998, plus the statements that were also taken in 2005, so that I could pursue a private prosecution against Huntley. They told me that they had to write to each witness to gain their consent for the witness statements could be released to me.

  I was sent a copy of their letter to the witnesses, which read:

  RE: HAILEY JAYNE GIBLIN

  (FORMERLY EDWARDS)

  You will recall that you previously gave a statement to Humberside Police in connection with the investigation of allegations made by Hailey Giblin that in 1997 she was a subject of a sexual assault by Ian Huntley. As you will no doubt know, Ian Huntley was more recently convicted of the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in Soham in 2002.

  The allegations made by Mrs Giblin in relation to Ian Huntley have been the subject of further police investigation and the papers have been re-submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service. The CPS, having considered the evidence, has declined to prosecute.

  Mrs Giblin has indicated that she wishes to issue a private prosecution against Ian Huntley and has asked Humberside Police to supply her with the papers generated in the course of its investigation. These papers of course include the statement taken from you.

  The purpose of this letter is therefore to ask you whether you give your consent to the disclosure of your statement to Mrs Giblin for the purposes of her proposed private prosecution of Ian Huntley.

  I am enclosing a form of response which I would be grateful if you could complete, sign and date, and return to me in the sae provided.

  I am anxious to respond to Mrs Giblin as soon as possible and your early reply would be very much appreciated.

  I should say that were a private prosecution to proceed, and were you to be called as a witness, the procedure, and more particularly your own involvement in the process, would be very much the same as if the prosecution were being brought by the CPS.

  I hope the position is clear and I look forward to hearing from you.

  Yours sincerely

  Stephen Hodgson

  Head of Legal Services

  You may notice that the author of this letter writes that the papers concerning my case were re-submitted to the CPS but the information before the Bichard Inquiry was that the papers were not submitted to the CPS.

  Subsequently, a letter from Detective Chief Superintendent Gavin Baggs was sent to Stephen Richards (my co-author), in response to him asking for information about my case. Dated 14th June 2005, here is a telling extract from it:

  ‘Whilst I am not in a position to answer specific questions about the investigation you will be aware that the Humberside Police made a submission about this case to the Bichard Inquiry. That submission should be available to you via the Bichard website.

  I can confirm that the case was passed to the Crown Prosecution Service at the conclusion of police investigation in 1998 and that the decision not to proceed with the prosecution was made by the CPS.’

  Bullshit is what I say to that – the information before the Bichard Inquiry was that the case file never actually reached the CPS as it was the police who decided not to prosecute Huntley. It was DCI Baggs who, before a meeting in 2004, asked me to sign a confidentiality agreement, to prevent me from disclosing any of the contents of the meeting to any third parties. My lawyers advised me not to sign any such document.

  Three weeks later, Stephen Hodgson, the lawyer from the Humberside Police, contacted me to say that he had had a telephone conversation with a witness in the case, Jackie Blakey (Katie Webber’s mother) who said that she would not release her statement to me. I could not help but ask myself why.

  A few days later, my loving brother Hayden indicated on his release form ‘under no circumstances whatsover’ for his statement to be released – again, why?

  As far as I know, Katie Webber has decided not to contact the lawyer at the police and has not responded in any way. James Webber, Katie’s brother has also decided to ignore the request.

  This is why our justice system fails and this is also another reason why child killers and paedophiles can slip through the net.

  Obviously, I was upset and angry as to why these witnesses wouldn’t allow their statements to be used in court to prosecute the bastard.

  Subsequently, I tried to contact Jackie and Katie. They were not able to come to the phone, so I spoke to Katie’s Nana, Shirley Blakey.

  After saying ‘Hello’, Shirley immediately made it crystal clear that none of the family would release their statement. I was brutally attacked by a future child killer and that had ruined my childhood – what about justice?

  In due course, the force solicitor confirmed the following to me:

  ‘I confirm that I have had no response whatsoever to my most recent letters to Katie Webber or James Webber. I think I must now conclude that they do not wish to co-operate. I believe that one or more of my letters must have come to their attention. Failure to respond at all suggests to me that they simply do not wish to engage with the process. Without any response from them explaining their position, I can do little more to pursue this matter …’

  Obviously, I made my feelings clear. I said that when my book is released the truth would finally be told.

  Stephen Hodgson, Head of Legal Services at the Humberside Police again contacted both me and the publishers of this book, pressing for sight of the copy. He wanted to know that the ‘contents are fair and accurate and do not defame any individuals within Humberside Police’.

  In my opinion, The Bichard Report was most fair and accurate. Were the police as diligent as they should have been when I encountered Huntley? Did Huntley live a charmed existence or is there another explanation? Time will tell. But then again, that’s another story …

  EPILOGUE

  IT HAS TAKEN SOME TIME FOR ME TO WRITE THIS BOOK AND IT HAS HELPED ME MOST
CERTAINLY TO COME TO TERMS WITH HOW LUCKY I AM TO BE ALIVE. I now have my beautiful family to grow old with and a future that seems to get better day by day. A future that I could only once dream of is now becoming a reality and sharing this story with the world has lifted a huge weight off my shoulders – now people can make their own judgement about me once and for all.

  I now plan to travel, to move on from a sad past to a bright future and to make myself successful because I think I deserve it. I think now it’s time to spoil myself and leave behind an inevitable spotlight that fell upon me that was, frankly, never asked for.

  My final aim in life is to see that my children never have to grow up as quickly as I did. And I leave you with my final thought: Yesterday has been, and yesterday has gone, I live for today because I have won.

  CHILDLINE

  IF YOU ARE A CHILD OR YOUNG PERSON NEEDING HELP PLEASE CALL OUR FREE 24-HOUR HELPLINE ON 0800 1111. Lines can be busy but please keep trying and you will get through.

  If you are deaf or find using a regular phone difficult, try our Textphone service which provides confidential support and advice via a Textphone. You can call on 0800 400 222 and it’s open from 9.30am to 9.30pm on weekdays and 9.30am to 8pm at weekends.

  We also provide a special helpline called The Line for any young person living away from home. This is the helpline for you if you live in a foster home or a children’s home, if you’re at boarding school or you’ve been in hospital for a long time. You can call The Line on 0800 884444 from 3.30pm to 9.30pm on weekdays and 2pm to 8pm at weekends.

  To make a donation, go to www.childline.org.uk

  Growing up …

  Two years old and blissfully unaware of what life had in store for me.