Speaking out is hard but staying silent is harder, Lloyd-Lavery victim says

By Rebecca Black, Press Association

Victims of former teacher William Lloyd-Lavery have spoken of their relief after he was sentenced to two years in prison.

Lloyd-Lavery, 77, of Richmond Avenue, Lisburn, abused his young victims while he was a history teacher at the former Richmond Lodge school in south Belfast in the 1970s.

The case started when his victims came forward to police in 2018.

Lloyd-Lavery denied the charges, but was convicted of six counts of indecent assault of a child at Belfast Crown Court in January, before being sentenced to two years in prison on Tuesday.

In a statement issued through police, three of his victims spoke out.

Sarah (not her real name), who is now 63 years old, said speaking out had been hard but staying silent is harder.

“It happened 50 years ago, but it may as well have been yesterday,” she said.

“That is the reality of non-recent child abuse, it stays with you. It shapes you and, if you let it, the silence will take its toll.

“I have not let him ruin by life but he has certainly given it a dimension I could do without.

“A memory that resurfaces now and again to remind me that my bubble of innocence was burst at only 13 years of age.

“Speaking out is hard, but staying silent is harder.

“Today we got justice against a man who thought he had got away with it.”

Another of Lloyd-Lavery’s victims, referred to as Emma, 61, recalled hiding within groups of girls in fear.

“Each day, I hid myself within groups of girls when I moved between lessons, for fear of meeting him in the very long corridors and feeling his eyes on me, reliving what he had done,” she said.

“It was like the constant, painful, picking at a scab that never heals and a profound sense of injustice has followed me all my life.

“From the moment that I lifted the phone to the police, I was listened to and believed.

“Special measures are put in place for victims of abuse right from the start, so I felt safe and finally able to unload the toxic burden that I had been carrying for so long.”

Meanwhile a third victim, referred to as Lucy, 61, said being assaulted in 1979 changed her.

“I felt so ashamed and was unable to speak to anyone,” she said.

“I blocked it out and tried to forget about it. However, I stopped sleeping and spent most nights for some months on a mattress on my parents’ bedroom floor. I was referred to a child psychologist.

“I am glad that I have finally stood up for the truth, I have no regrets. I am a strong woman and will survive – I hope the outcome of the case will encourage other victims of historical sexual abuse to come forward.”

The Police Service of Northern Ireland said parents or guardians, and the wider local community, should report any activity, online or physical towards a child that they find concerning.

They added: “Similarly if you have been the victim of recent or non-recent child abuse please report to police on 101 or 999 in an emergency.”