Edinburgh crime news: Sisters horrified after finding out their Victim Impact Statement was not given to the court during sex abuse trial
Warning: The following content may be distressing to read.
Eileen Martin and her sister were sexually abused by their teenage uncle when they were young children. In the summer of 2019, 40 years later, they approached the police and formally report the crime. After waiting three years for the trial, Eileen spoke candidly about the problems victims faced when seeking justice.
This week, after a meeting with the Procurator Fiscal Office about her complaints, she found out that due to a miscommunication, the Victim Impact Statements had not been given to the court.
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Hide Ad"I don’t think I can ever move on from this"
Eileen explained: “My victim impact statement was not really about my trauma but because of the terrible way we were treated throughout the case.
"I wanted to let them know I was a good person forgiving and I hoped that the accused would accept his guilt. The fact that no one even read it after the terrible outcome just hurt more. I feel like a fool.”
She added that her mental health was declining since the trial. "I’m putting on a brave face but I just feel like nothing – just as I did as a child.
"I don’t think I can ever move on from this and that’s all I wanted to do. I have given up all medical help as I have lost trust and faith in every authority.”
"Trying to contact people and get answers is proving difficult and taking time I should be spending caring for my son. I feel as if I’m a bad person.”
Their uncle, Reginald Maxwell, received a community sentence after being found guilty of two charges of sexual abuse. When talking about the trial, Eileen described it as “f**k up after f**k up”.