The son of a woman who was raped by a grooming gang at the age of 15 has told of how his entire life has been “torture”.
Jodie Sheeran, who died from alcohol-related illness in November 22, had been groomed by an Asian gang from the age of 12, where older gang members would ply her with drinks and gifts to keep her coming back to them.
In November 2004 she was driven to a hotel, plied with alcohol and raped by multiple members of the gang during their Eid celebrations. In a cruel twist, the rapists threw a curry mixture over their victim after their sick attack.
Brave Jodie managed to call the police as soon as she regained consciousness, and after undergoing invasive medical examinations, police found the DNA of a 25-year-old man. The man was arrested and charged with her rape, but the case was dropped on the same day it was due to go to trial.
The Crown Prosecution Service claimed at the time there was not enough evidence.
Son Jayden Sheeran was born nine months after Jodie’s gang rape and says the abuse suffered by his vulnerable mum had horrific repercussions for their entire family. The abuse crippled her self-esteem and as she got older she fell into relationships with violent men who preyed upon her.
He and Jodie’s mum, Ange, have been campaigning to bring his biological father to justice and appeared in a documentary by Rotherham grooming gangs survivor Sammy Woodhouse for Tousi TV, called Groomed: The Rape of Stoke.
Living in Stoke-on-Trent, Jayden – now 19 – was brought up by his grandparents and almost believed Jodie was his sister. He was told the truth by nan Ange when he was around 11 having noticed that other children at school had a happy relationship with their dads.
Two years later, at the age of 13, he moved in with Jodie, but her reliance on alcohol was becoming a problem.
“There was a teacher at school who I would have to ring every other week to get her coming out with ambulances and stuff because I’d come home from school and my mum would be passed out,” Jayden told Fabulous magazine. “It was scary sometimes, it was dead scary.”
Jodie suffered from crippling self-esteem since being groomed as a child, and experienced yet more abuse when she moved in with a violent boyfriend when Jayden was 16.
The man turned cruel towards Jodie, using her problems with alcohol against her. “I came home once and my mum had been drinking but she was covered in sick from her head to all down and I’m saying, ‘How have you done that?’ and her partner had got the bucket of sick and tipped [it] all over,” Jayden recalled.
“It was disgusting, vile. But she couldn’t see a way out. It was like she was used to being controlled and abused.”
Jayden was ripped away from his family and hometown after a row with his mum’s partner, and sent to a care home in Scotland. The experience was “isolating” and he frequently got into trouble for breaking the strict rules and staying out too late.
He then moved back to Stoke and lived in supported accommodation from the age of 17, and had his own child at the same age, but says he has been hugely affected by the trauma his mum went through – and from having to call ambulances when she’d passed out drunk.
“I wouldn’t even call it a life – it’s been more like a torture that I’ve had for the last 19 years I’ve been here,” he said.
“Growing up, obviously, I was blessed to have my nan and grandad to look out for me ….but obviously, all the stuff that’s gone on with my mum, it’s made me a bit lost and … I don’t know who I actually am.”
Jayden has offered to give his DNA to police so they can check whether it matches the sample taken from Jodie on the night she was gang-raped. But, he claims, so far his offer has been declined.
He is currently fighting a lawsuit against Staffordshire Police for letting his family down. “My nan has been fighting for justice for years and at first I didn’t really want to get involved in it, I was like, my mum, she’s already died now, what more can we do? Let’s just move on,” he told the magazine.
“But obviously my nan was so determined to get something done, it’s only right I try and help and that’s what I’m trying to do. I just want to help my nan get justice for my mum, and speak out against the CPS and the police for failing my mum.”
In a statement, a Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson said: “Our thoughts remain with Jodie Sheeran’s family after her tragic death. In 2005, the case against the suspect in Jodie’s case was discontinued because the legal test for a prosecution was no longer met, a decision that was independently reviewed in 2019 by a different prosecutor who reached the same conclusion.
“Child sexual abuse and exploitation are appalling crimes and since 2005 we have made significant investment in how we prosecute these complex cases. This includes the recruitment of dedicated victim liaison officers across the country to better support victims of rape and sexual offences, and the creation of a dedicated Organised Child Sexual Abuse Unit to tackle these awful crimes.”
*If you need support, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively you can email jo@samaritans.org or visit their website to find your local branch
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