Hollybrook Children's Home abuse survivor meets fellow victim

A woman who was sexually abused in a children's home in the 1950s has said she is "not alone anymore" after meeting a fellow abuse victim.

Mo Simmons spent two years at council-owned Hollybrook Children's Home in Southampton from 1951.

Gracie Harrison she said she was physically abused at Hollybrook and later sexually abused at a private home, and asked the BBC to unite them.

The pair said they were "so glad to have found each other".

Mrs Simmons said it felt like "looking in a mirror" hearing about Mrs Harrison's experience of abuse

Mrs Harrison, 85, shared how she was placed at Hollybrook Children's Home when she was five years old, after her mother was diagnosed with tuberculosis.

She said she was physically abused in the home after being separated from her two sisters and described the staff as "regimented".

Later, during World War Two, Mrs Harrison was evacuated to a private home in Bournemouth, where she said she was then "subjected to mental cruelty and sexual assault by the master of the house".

"I told my lady at which she slapped my face and told me to stop lying. I am 85 years old but still want revenge on my so called foster parents," she added.

Mrs Harrison said she wrote to the BBC as she felt she and Mrs Simmons, 80, "had a lot in common".

Mrs Simmons said it was like "looking in a mirror" hearing about Mrs Harrison's experiences of abuse and that she felt she "wasn't alone anymore".

Mrs Harrison said she was separated from her two sisters while staying at Hollybrook Children's Home

The pair promised to stay in touch, with Mrs Harrison saying she "wouldn't let Mo go".

Mrs Simmons continues to pursue justice for her abuse with Southampton City Council.

A spokesman for the authority said the council was currently in the process of "establishing if any criminal proceedings can be brought in connection with allegations of abuse at Hollybrook".

He added: "We continue to encourage anyone who experienced historical abuse at Hollybrook and indeed any children's home in the city to get in touch with us or the police."

The council previously said it had "no legal powers" because the abuse happened before it formed in 1997.