Conquering the Impossible: Justice(2 Conquering the Impossible)

My motivation in writing and publishing this book is to highlight failings of the justice system, particularly of South and West Yorkshire Police and the Crown Prosecution Service. I wish to use my experiences to raise public awareness of the taboo subjects of familial rape and incest and to support other victims who have been sexually abused by a parent. Identifying how predators like my father groom, terrorise abuse and rape children will enable society and the authorities to recognise the signs and ultimately lead to their earlier prosecution. It took thirty-five years to bring my father to justice and in the process, I was labelled a liar and a slag, dismissed by the authorities and made to feel worthless. There was no deterrent for my father and he relied on my silence and the unwillingness of people, including the police, to countenance that he could rape his own child to protect him. I am sure that if this has happened to me, it must have happened to many others. It must not be allowed to happen again. It is my literary and journalistic responsibility to assist in breaking the silence, this is key to preventing children’s lives being ruined and destroyed. The reproduction of the trial transcripts, various items of evidence and recordings of conversations within this book are for the purposes of breaking the silence and raising awareness. My hope is that a more effective national deterrent and prevention strategy can be developed to safeguard children. Society needs to realise that child incest is like putting a nuclear bomb under the family. Picking up all the pieces is virtually impossible. However, there is hope for victims to survive and thrive given the right environment, tools and loving support. It requires courage to reach out and ask for help to heal your broken heart. I hope my story will help and I want to show that if we stand together, we can overcome adversity. It takes courage for us all to stand up for what is right and to challenge what is wrong in a failing system. I have been inspired by reading books by great leaders who bravely spoke out to try and make the world a safer place for our children. I also want to inspire others to choose a path to healing and to believing that they can make their dreams come true and conquer the impossible. The Kingdom of God belongs to the children.

Table of Contents:
Prologue 1 Monday 14 January 2019 Diary 9 Preliminary matters 21 Jury Sworn In 35 Charge to the jury 35 Judge’s address to the jury 35 Opening speech on behalf of the prosecution by Mr Hampton 48 Diary (continued) 62 Video evidence of Carol Denise Higgins 84 Diary (continued) 99 Tuesday 15 January 2019 Diary 102 Video evidence of Carol Denise Higgins 105 Diary (continued) 135 Witness testimony of Carol Denise Higgins 137 Diary (continued) 216 Wednesday 16 January 2019 Witness Testimony & Examination of Jean Voss 218 Cross Examination of Jean Voss 251 Re-examination of Jean Voss 276 Letter from Carol’s Mother, Jean Voss 277 Witness Testimony & Examination of Carl Higgins 280 Cross Examination of Carl Higgins 288 Witness Testimony & Examination of Paul Appleyard 294 Cross Examination of Paul Appleyard 307 Diary 315 Friday 18 January 2019 Cross Examination of Paul Appleyard (continued) 317 Re-Examination of Paul Appleyard 329 Examination of Hilda May Graham 333 Cross Examination of Hilda May Graham 338 Examination of Julie Clarke 342 Cross Examination of Julie Clarke 351 Examination of Carron Ward 354 Cross Examination of Carron Ward 357 Statement of Ena Whittle 363 Monday 21 January 2019 Preliminary Matters 366 Examination of Diana Judith Thorpe 367 Cross Examination of Diana Judith Thorpe 370 Examination of Diane Louise Croft 376 Cross Examination of Diane Louise Croft 380 Re Examination of Diane Louise Croft 384 Examination of Alex Wilson 385 Cross Examination of Alex Wilson 429 Re-Examination of Alex Wilson 436 Diary 459 Tuesday 22 January 2019 Preliminary Matters 461 Examination of Elliott Appleyard 467 Cross Examination of Elliott Appleyard 498 Diary 547 Wednesday 23 January 2019 Examination of Sarah Thomas 549 Cross Examination of Sarah Thomas 555 Prosecution Closing Speech 558 Defence Closing Speech 574 Summing Up 598 Thursday 24 January 2019 Preliminary Matters 619 Summing Up (Continued) 620 Deliberation 665 Summing Up (Continued) 668 Verdict of the Jury 682 Diary 687 Friday 25 January 2019 Reading of Carol Higgins’ Personal Impact Statement 689 Sentencing of Elliott Appleyard 701 Diary 710 Epilogue 715

About the Author :
Carol Higgins (54) grew up in a violent and dysfunctional family in Denby Dale, West Yorkshire, where she was psychologically, physically and sexually terrorised by her incestuous father. As a result she left school with no qualifications and was later diagnosed with complex PTSD. Forced to leave the family home to live on her own at 16, Carol moved to live alone in a cold rented house on Stanhope Street in Barnsley. She recalls her thoughts from the first night she spent in that cold, high second-hand bed, wrapping her arms around herself, saying “Pretend you’re in a bed & breakfast.” She then realised she had never been in a bed & breakfast and had only been camping with her family while growing up. From this point she was on her own. Working in a sewing factory for eight years, Carol’s supportive colleagues were the force that kept her going through her lonely home life, and they felt like one big happy family through the bad times. During this time, Carol met her future husband, with whom she had two children. This marriage came to an end after Carol helped her ex-husband build a successful business. Divorced and bringing up her two children alone, Carol gave her spare time to work with the elderly and children in schools and as a youth worker, soon enrolling on adult education courses. Until as recently as 2014, Carol did not know that she was dyslexic, a diagnosis that helped her realise why she had struggled all of her life, particularly in school, work and college. She has consistently refused to live life as a victim and became the author and publisher of her first book in 2015. Carol lives in Ackworth, West Yorkshire, where she is a keen fundraiser for numerous charities. Only eight months after she underwent 9 hours of surgery to remove the tumour that threatened her life, Carol climbed Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for a charity close to her heart. Carol now uses her own experiences and voice to stand for social justice and advocate for those whose own voices have been silenced. She raises awareness about the taboo subjects of familial rape of children and incest and encourages others to speak out. She believes the truth will set you free and she fights to change attitudes and laws. Child incest is rife and not enough is being done about it.

Review :
Well done to Carol for bringing all the evidence to light in this second book of her trilogy. A must read for anyone interested in the sordid world of incest & child abuse. An easy 5 star review from me.