Man pleads not guilty to 'much loved' Ynyshir dad's murder
A post-mortem examination gave an initial cause of death as bleeding on the base of the brain, pending further investigation.An inquest earlier this month heard that Mr Dean was found lying face down on the kitchen floor with blood around his head.Speaking after his death, Mr Dean's family said he was a "devoted" father-of-three and "much loved" son, brother and partner.They said Mr Dean was a "well-known" and "loved character" who brought "energy, humour, and warmth wherever he went".
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My dad forced me to be child bride to family friend who groomed me at 13 – when he nearly killed me I knew I had to flee
STANDING in front of my family, my husband-to-be and I exchanged rings, then signed a marriage licence. But this was no normal wedding. The ceremony was taking place in our living room, I was wearing jeans and a T-shirt, and I was terrified. 4 Afterwards, with my belongings shoved into boxes, my new husband Peter*, then 24, drove me to an empty parking lot and raped me, saying: 'Legally, you belong to me now.' Aged just 17, I was a child bride, forced to marry a man who had groomed, abused and manipulated me since I was 13. While the legal age for marriage in England and Wales is 18, it's just 16 in 80% of US states – despite the fact that in many of them, you're not classed as a legal adult who can vote or drink alcohol until the age of 21. CHILD BRIDE Growing up in a military family, my childhood had never been particularly 'normal'. We moved every two years, before settling in Colorado when I was 10, in a male-dominated, fundamentalist religious community, where it was common for younger girls to be married to much older men. My upbringing with my father, stepmother and nine siblings was so sheltered and secluded, I knew nothing of the outside world. We were only allowed to watch religious cartoons once a week, and use a communal computer where everybody could see what was on the screen. 'BELONG TO ME' We were also taught to be fearful of the outside world and weren't allowed to have vaccinations or medical treatment from outside our community. I first met Peter at 13 when I was visiting my mum, who lived in another state. He was 20 years old and a friend of the family, and he told me about a messaging app for iPods, and I downloaded it to keep in contact with my mum and cousin. He then used it to groom me, love-bombing me with messages about how much he cared for me and the amazing future we would have together. I believed him. Then, during one visit when I was 14, he molested me while I was in the shower. I thought it was my fault because I hadn't said no, and afterwards, I was so disgusted, I was physically sick and fell into a deep depression. Back home, Peter continued to constantly message me, and the stress of having to hide it from my father, who was so strict and devout, meant I developed an eating disorder. Right after I turned 16, Peter messaged me saying: 'I'm outside. I'm either gonna tell your dad what's happening, or you can come with me.' So I left and he took me to his hometown across state lines, where he became more and more abusive. Terrified he'd kill me, I fled with just the clothes on my back Meanwhile, my parents reported me missing, but assumed I had voluntarily run away with Peter. I was too scared to contact them and ask for help, thinking that they would still blame me for having a relationship with him. Finally, six weeks later, a family member spotted me and called the police, and Dad came to bring me home. After that, I wasn't allowed to leave the house or go to school. To the community, I was sullied goods who had chosen to run away with an older man. Feeling desperate, in May 2013 I took an overdose, which thankfully didn't work. Weeks later, Peter turned up in my hometown. At first it was very tense, but he and my father went out for dinner and decided – to my utter horror – that we would be married. The ceremony happened the very next day. Afterwards, Peter and I lived together in a small rented apartment, where he regularly threw me against the walls and spat in my food. Knowing I couldn't legally divorce him until I was 18, I felt so trapped. Then one day, two months after the wedding, he threw me out of his moving car. Terrified he'd eventually kill me, I fled in the middle of the night with just the clothes on my back. I would never see or speak to him again. 4 My grandparents lent me some money, which I used to buy a car to sleep in, then another family member opened up their home to me, gave me a job in her business and helped me enrol in a programme for adults to graduate high school. After saving up enough money, I filed for a divorce, which came through in April 2014. Unable to cope with the reality of what had happened to me, I began drinking and taking drugs. But slowly, I made friends through work and began to believe people were good again. It was there that I met my now-husband Jordan, 35. We began dating and I confided in him about everything I'd been through. He had been brought up in the same community and also been forced to marry young – he divorced when he was 24 – so he understood. Shortly after I turned 21, we moved in together, and in January 2016, I got my General Educational Development certificate, an alternative to a high-school diploma, then I joined the Army Reserve Military Police. When I was 22, Jordan and I got married and bought a house. But I still couldn't shake the traumas I'd endured. After again trying to take my own life and ending up in rehab, a psychologist said: 'You have post-traumatic stress disorder, what happened to you was not OK.' And that was the beginning of a very long and hard healing journey, which forced me to confront layers and layers of shame. In January 2023, Jordan's cousin told me: 'You have to start telling your story – you need to speak up for the kids who are silenced by child marriage.' And I realised he was right. FORCED MARRIAGE IN THE UK A national Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) was created in 2005, followed by the Forced Marriage Protection Order (FMPO) in 2008 – a form of injunction to prevent contact from perpetrators, stop someone being taken out of the country and prohibit marriage arrangements – and 3,343 of these were issued by the courts to women at risk up to September last year. The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 made it a criminal offence in England, Wales and Scotland to force someone to marry, including taking them overseas to do so. It carries a prison sentence of up to seven years. In February, the legal age for marriage was raised to 18 in England and Wales after a 10-year campaign by the Girls Not Brides coalition, with non-legally-binding traditional ceremonies also banned. Yet, there are still on average 12 to 15 honour-based murders a year in the UK – and experts believe that is the tip of the iceberg as some families take girls overseas where there is less scrutiny. A report in May by the Universities of Bristol and Lincoln also warned use of FMPOs can prevent forced marriage but increase the risk of honour-based violence. Cases Are almost always the culmination of a lifetime of mistreatment, known as honour-based abuse (HBA). The Home Office says there were 2,887 offences of this type in the year ending March 31, 2022 in England and Wales, and a further 1,871 HBA-related incidents. Mandatory collection of this data was only introduced in 2019 and there has been an 81% rise in cases over recent years, although this is thought to be down to greater awareness. After being inspired by another survivor of child sexual abuse, who'd run the length of America to raise awareness, I decided to do something similar with a triathlon. In February 2023, I set up a Gofundme page and posted my story on TikTok. Soon, people began donating and showing their support. I was astounded to realise that so many people didn't even know that child marriage still happens in America. Shockingly, almost 300,000 children were married in the US between 2000 and 2018**, many of them to much older men. 4 Since then, I've continued to speak out, both for my own sake and to set an example to the beautiful young daughter Jordan and I now have. As for my family, I am only in contact with my mum and one brother and sister. While I miss my other siblings dearly, they won't talk to me because I chose a life outside of the community. I also still take part in triathlons – I use the discipline of training to work through my emotions. Some days, I'm running and crying because I'm thinking about why I'm here, what I'm doing and how impactful it is. There's a lot of pressure, but even if it takes me to my dying breath, I'm never going to give up. I'll keep speaking up for the young girl I was, and all the other girls and women out there who are still suffering in silence.
