'My abuser admitted to hurting me since I was 6 - now he's removed from registry'

'My abuser admitted to hurting me since I was 6 - now he's removed from registry'


Janie Letton said she felt powerless when a judge granted her abuser's appeal (Image: SWNS)WARNING - DISTRESSING CONTENT: A sexual abuse survivor says she felt like a "powerless little girl again" when a judge OK'd her abuser's appeal to be removed from the sex offender registry.

A woman who suffered sexual abuse at the hands of a fellow Jehovah's Witness congregation member during says she feels like a "powerless little girl again" following her abuser's removal from the sex offenders register.

Janie Letton, 28, was brought up as a Jehovah's Witness from birth. Beginning at just six years old, Janie endured repeated sexual assault by a member of her congregation, with the abuse first occurring at a bonfire party they both attended.

The assaults persisted for four years, during which she says he would carry out "subtle" sex acts on her.

Inside dark shed where 5 starving kids were kept as slaves in filthy house of horrors

Fury as suspected child rapist set to take over as police chief days after arrest

At the age of 10, the perpetrator confessed to Janie's mother, who promptly contacted law enforcement. On Dec. 19, 2014, he was convicted on two counts of sexual battery and placed on the sex offenders register.

However, just one week after Janie's wedding in 2025, her abuser filed an appeal against his placement on the register. A judge ruled in his favor, resulting in his removal from the list.

Waiving her right to anonymity, Janie, a social media specialist originally from North Carolina and now residing in Wales, spoke out about the devastating impact: "A week after I got married, I found out he was appealing the decision."


Janie Letton, 28, was brought up as a Jehovah's Witness from birth (Image: SWNS)

"It was a struggle internally; I didn't want to ruin this person's life, but at the same time I wanted justice."

"I will have to carry this for the rest of my life, and I feel like he has been let off."

In an interview with Talk to the Press, Janie recalled: "I was just six years old, and there was a bonfire.

"He took me into a bathroom, unzipped his pants, and asked me to perform sexual acts on him. That is when the abuse started.

"Throughout my childhood, he would do very subtle things like put his hand down my pants."

DON'T MISS...

'Ambulance driver repeatedly raped me at 14 - but I don't hate him'

Parents arrested after starved kids forced to sleep in frigid RV went to neighbor for food

Parents kept 15 kids in 'deplorable' apartment with no food or toilet paper


sexual assault by a member of her congregation, with the abuse first occurring at a bonfire party they both attended. The assaults persisted for four years, during which she says he would carry out "subtle" sex acts on her (Image: SWNS)

The abuse persisted for four years, continuing until Janie was 10 years old, when it finally came to light following her abuser's confession.

The investigation that followed was the "most humiliating ordeal of my entire life," Janie said.

She claims that fellow congregation members failed to offer any support during this difficult period.

"The only sense of community I had was gone, and although my relationship was complicated with the congregation, I expected more - nobody reached out, and those that came to visit only encouraged my family to attend meetings again," Janie said.

"I always felt like an outsider within the group but also longed for connection. This whole ordeal made me feel insignificant and small, as if the pain I endured did not matter."

A lawyer reached out to Janie to inform her that her abuser was challenging the ruling that placed him on the sex offenders register.

Janie provided a statement to the court detailing how the abuse has impacted her life. In her statement, Janie expressed: "My hope in sharing this statement is that accountability is maintained and justice is upheld by ensuring that he remains on the registry - the only consequence he has faced for his actions."

Nevertheless, despite Janie's testimony, a judge approved the appeal, removing his name from the registry.

Janie reflected: "Even now, the impact of what happened still follows me.

"What happened to me does not define me; I am no longer a victim, I am a survivor, and I have fought to not only to survive but to thrive."

"It wasn't easy, but I'm still here. It has taken a lot of therapy, self-work, reflection, and acceptance."

"Throughout this time, I haven't received any form of apology, an admission of guilt, or compensation for the pain and trauma that I experienced."

---

Source: Crime