Rape survivor uses TikTok to try to empower others

Megan, now 22, said she turned to TikTok as a way of encouraging other victims of abuse to come forward

Megan was 14 when she was raped by a man who groomed her at a house party in Plymouth. Feeling ashamed and alone, it took years for her to talk about her trauma and following the conviction of her rapist she said she wanted to help others.

"I'm going to jump straight into it," the now 22-year-old said in the first of a series of TikTok videos to explain how she became a target for a grooming gang.

"I wasn't that 'normal child' - I was a troubled child, as everyone called me.

"Not going to school, staying out late, going missing, just doing everything I shouldn't be doing at that age."

Megan, who has waived her right to anonymity, was one of four teenagers who were given alcohol and drugs and raped by a gang after a chance encounter in the street led to an invite to a party where she met her attacker.

The court heard there were a number of house parties held throughout 2017 in Plymouth by the three men who targeted teenage girls

Abalzaq Salih, 31, from Plymouth, was jailed for 19 years after being convicted of two counts of rape following a five-week trial in August.

Saif Kahya, 32, from Liverpool, was jailed for 12 years, and Anthony Anantharajah, 35, from London, was jailed for 13 years.

The court heard there were a number of house parties held throughout 2017 in Plymouth by the three men who targeted Megan and other teenage girls.

Speaking to the BBC, Megan said her childhood was "very chaotic" which she believed made her a prime target for the gang.

"I just felt like I needed to get out," she said.

"I met these friends who also had troubles at home - we would all get together, drink, get on drugs, go to parties."

She said everything seemed normal at the first party she attended, but she now knows that was part of her attacker's plan.

"That was their way of grooming us," she added.

Megan was raped at a second house party by Salih after being plied with large amounts of alcohol.

In a victim impact statement read out in court, Megan said the attack made her feel ashamed and angry.

"As soon as it happened I knew I had to keep it secret," she said.

"Back then, I thought I would be the one in trouble and that nobody would believe me, not even my own mum."

Prosecutor Dan Pawson-Pounds said in court the men deliberately selected vulnerable teenagers who were less connected to their parents and support networks and therefore "more susceptible to grooming and abuse and much less likely to complain after the event".

A phone call from a detective informing Megan of the guilty verdict was a turning point.

"I was just so chuffed at that point," she said.

"It was just so empowering that I had finally managed to get these people in prison."

Megan said TikTok allowed her to "speak to people that are going through the same thing, or have gone through the same thing"

Judge Peter Johnson praised the women for their "commendable inner strength" in going through the criminal justice process".

He said: "All witnesses to the events of 2017 showed the most enormous courage and determination to come to court, to give evidence and see justice done.

"Those who saw them give their evidence could not fail to be impressed at how youngsters with extremely difficult backgrounds have grown up into responsible young adults of whom society should be proud."

'Speak out'

Megan turned to TikTok as a way of encouraging other victims of abuse to come forward.

"Me setting up my TikTok account is to have more time to speak to people that are going through the same thing, or have gone through the same thing, and that are not capable of speaking up without having that support network," she said.

Praising the way the police had handled the case, Megan said she felt supported by detectives.

She urged other victims to seek the right support network by speaking to their parents, police, charity workers or teachers.

"If you're going through the same thing, speak out and get your word out there," she said.

"Get these horrible men locked up so they don't do it to any other children.

"You are going to be believed."

If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can visit the BBC's Action Line.