'My driving instructor traumatised me... I still worry I will bump into him'
15.11.2023 - 07:47
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A mum-of-two who was 'traumatised' after a driving instructor sexually assaulted her as a teenager says she is devastated he has only served half his sentence in prison. Chenine Woods was 17 when Frank Barham subjected her to a series of degrading attacks.
The single mum, from Cheshire, claims she 'still feels threatened' by him following the attacks 20 years ago - including a serious sexual assault. She recalls being taken to his home and being inappropriately touched, while Barham's wife and family were downstairs.
Barham, a decorated Sergeant Major from the British Army, was jailed for eight years in 2019 as a 69-year-old. He was even branded a 'predator' by a judge.
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But four years on, he has been released from prison to serve the rest of his sentence on licence. And Chenine, who lives in Winsford, a short drive away from Barham, says she panics she will 'bump into him'.
Chenine, who has waived her right to anonymity, says: “The abuse destroyed my teenage years and I still live with it now. When I heard he was being released, my stomach churned, and the memory of what he did to me came flooding back. I’m in tears, knowing he is out there.
“I still feel threatened by him, as though I am still that defenceless teenager. I have flashbacks and moments of panic.
“I heard the government plans to keep criminals in prison for longer, but I just don’t think they go far enough. A four-year sentence is nothing for what he took away from me, and from the other victims too.”
As a little girl, Chenine