Janey Godley opens up on 'abuse hell' 26 years after uncle jailed for sex attacks

04.11.2022 - 17:07 / dailyrecord.co.uk

Janey Godley has opened up on one of the 'toughest experiences of her life' 26 years after her uncle was jailed for sexually abusing her. The Scots comic took to Twitter to mark the anniversary of her uncle, David Percy, being convicted of preying on her when she was a child.

Janey was raised by her debt-ridden mother and alcoholic father and throughout her childhood in Glasgow, she was abused by her uncle. She took him to court as an adult to secure a conviction in 1996. After a four-day trial David, then 47, who played the flute in a loyalist marching band, was put behind bars for the sexual offences

Reflecting on the case today, the 61-year-old said: "The sentence wasn't long but the fact he was found guilty after 30 years of living that horror was worthwhile. The court case was one of the toughest experiences of my life." David Percy died in his bed in 2017, which Janey has previously said was "too good for him".

At the time she wrote: "He was far right and died in his bed alone. Child abuse has been proven scientifically to halt the way children process information and are able to use their brain for critical thinking and be able to do with things.

“I remember as a child just being obsessed with a secret that I had to keep and that’s awful.

"It’s an awful thing to put children through. It’s awful to make children mistrust the world at such a young age. You never put it behind you. What happens is, you grow up and develop coping strategies for how to get through what makes you feel s**te."

Following Janey's social media post, many followers reached out to send her messages of support. One wrote: "Thank you for speaking out about your traumatic childhood Janey as you may have helped so many other victims of such awful