Brave sexual abuse survivor speaks out

 A brave young woman from the city has spoken publicly about the sustained sexual abuse perpetrated on her by her uncle when she was growing up.

“The bogeyman of my childhood” was how Linda Williamson described her abuser, Jonathan Doherty, in today’s highly emotional interview with Derry Now.

On Friday, March 3, Doherty, from Roe Gardens in the Waterside area of Derry, pleaded guilty to the 2009 rape of Linda, who was 13 years old at the time.

He also pleaded guilty to 11 charges of indecent assault and four charges of sexual assault on Linda, and four charges of indecent assault on her cousin, Toni Harrison.

Doherty also faced a charge of rape on Ms Harrison, to which he pleaded not guilty. That charge has been ‘left on the books’. He was sentenced to four years in jail, suspended for three years.

Linda said following the sentencing of Jonathan Doherty she felt “vindicated”.

“It was very, very hard in court today,” she added. “My father was up with me today. He wanted to be there today for the sentencing and it was just very hard to see the effect it had on him.”

Linda said she contacted the PSNI about Doherty’s sexual abuse. She was prompted to do so by her cousin, Toni.

“Toni told me that my uncle had molested her. She confided in me because she had a suspicion he had also molested me. She was correct, so I rang the police the next day. 

“Fast forward, the case went to court six weeks agonand there were 21 counts of sexual assault, indecent assault, and rape against him [Doherty], committed on Toni and me. 

“He pleaded guilty to 20 of the charges and we were in Coleraine today for his sentencing. 

“He got a four year suspended sentence. 

“Toni and I were granted leave to waive our anonymity, which meant we could speak out about our ordeal. Obviously, I did not want him to get a suspended sentence but he did,” said Linda ruefully.

Her voice breaking, Linda continued: “He is my uncle and he started molesting me from the age of six. 

“That went on for a period of nine years. He then raped me when I was 14 years old. 

“Following today’s sentencing, I am extremely relieved he has been placed on the sex offenders’ register and other restrictions relating to his sexual abuse of Toni and Me have been imposed. He is prohibited from having any contact or communication of any kind with a child under 18 years old.”

Linda is now 27 and Doherty is 31. “The abuse started when I was very young and continued until he was 18 years old,” said Linda. 

“It is my time now and I want to tell my story,” she said. “In my victim impact statement today, I named him as the bogey man of my childhood.”

“The judge read that out in court and while it was great to be vindicated and he pleaded guilty, my family and I are very unhappy he only got a suspended sentence. However, I suppose, he did plead guilty and we did admit everything. The sentence was probably suspended because he did plead guilty. 

“A few weeks ago, I was facing the awful prospect of being cross examined in court. I was down in the court and all when my barrister came in and told me he had pleaded guilty,” recalled Linda. 

In her victim impact statement which was read out in court, Linda said she did not have many memories of her life before Jonathan Doherty.

“All my memories contain him,” she said. “He was the bogeyman of my childhood. My body went through a lot of stress growing up. My physical and mental health was affected. 

“I really went off the rails in my teenage years but, thankfully, I gathered my life back together in my early twenties and I bought my first home and things, then the legal case began three years ago.

“But today I feel good. I feel vindicated.”

As well as being put on the sexual offenders register for an indefinite period, Jonathan Doherty received a sexual offences prevention order. 

This means: He is prohibited from residing or staying overnight at any address without the prior approval of his designated risk manager and he is prohibited from having any contact directly or indirectly with Toni Harrison or Linda Williamson.

He is also prohibited from having any contact or communication of any kind with a child under 18 years, other than with the consent of the child’s parent or guardian who has knowledge of the defendant’s previous convictions and with the approval of Social Services and the designated risk manager.

He is prohibited from engaging in any employment or activity whether, paid, unpaid, voluntary or charitable where he may have access directly or indirectly, to anyone under the age of 18, without prior approval of Social Services and his designated risk manager.

He is prohibited from entering into any romantic or sexual relationship with any person without having made to that person full disclosure of his criminal record and such disclosure having been verified by his designated risk manager.

Doherty has also been placed on a barring list. The Court informed him that the Independent Safeguarding Authority may include him in the Adult and  Childrens' barred list as required under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Northern Ireland) Order 2007.