My twisted brother abused me for years, the sickening response I got when I finally told my mum meant I lost her too
But as the relief washed over her, the then six-year-old could never have imagined her ordeal would take an even darker twist.
7
Shavoughne Firth suffered years of abuse at the hands of her own brother
Credit: True Life Stories
7
She was just five years old when her older brother Kieren Firth began his attacks
Credit: True Life Stories
7
Kieran Firth was sentenced to eight years in prison for his seven-year-long campaign of abuse
Credit: True Life Stories
Shavoughne, 27, from Penzance, Cornwall, says that while Kieran Firth, 37,...
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Scottish Sun
12-07-2025
- Scottish Sun
Evil neighbour invited me to a BBQ then drugged & raped me – he laughed as I tried to push him off, then attacked again
Juanita Greenhalph rarely left her house and when she did the gran was the victim of a sick attack SICK ABUSE Evil neighbour invited me to a BBQ then drugged & raped me – he laughed as I tried to push him off, then attacked again Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) AS HER neighbour offered Juanita Greenhalph a cup of tea during a get together BBQ, she was touched by the friendly gesture. Taking her first sip the grandmother had no idea of the horrific ordeal that would follow just an hour later. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 Juanita Greenhalph was thrilled to be invited to her neighbour Meynard Murambakanda's BBQ Credit: True Life Stories 5 But Murambakanda raped Juanita before robbing her of £650 Credit: GMP As she carried on drinking Juanita, 62, felt 'whoozy' and her vision blurred having been unknowingly spiked by her neighbour Meynard Murambakanda. When she next opened her eyes, Murambakanda raped her twice after spiking her tea and after the horrific attack, he stole money out of her bank account. Murambakanda, 34, was sentenced to eight years and now Juanita has waived her right to anonymity to share her story. Juanita, a retiree who used to work as a barmaid, says: 'When I was invited to Meynard's BBQ I was excited as I didn't usually socialise or leave the house. 'It was a beautiful sunny day with all the neighbours but it turned into the worst day of my life. 'I am now haunted by the memory of accepting that cup of tea, and how stupid I'd been. 'But I now know none of it was my fault. He's a monster who preyed on me.' In 2020, Juanita, from Manchester, was 58 and living at home alone. She was retired and struggling with type 2 diabetes and a bad back. Her four children, all in their 30s and 40s, had left the nest years before. She says: 'Their dad and I divorced in 2003 and I'd been alone for the past 17 years. Moment violent Scots rapist caught lurking on CCTV before horror sex attack 'I barely left the house. I only left to get food from the shops. 'Every morning, I had a carer visit to give me my medication and help me with breakfast. 'My life had become very lonely.' In May that year, she got chatting to one of her neighbours, Murambakanda. They'd seen each-other but had never spoken. She says: 'I was sprawled out on my deck chair in my front garden when Meynard walked past again. 'This time he stopped and introduced himself. He told me he lived with his mother, around the corner. 'The next day, he came back and chatted again. He seemed very sweet. 'Admittedly, I never thought I'd find love again. But Meynard's attention made me feel good inside. It had been so long. 5 Murambakanda spiked Juanita's tea while at the BBQ before leading her upstairs Credit: True Life Stories 5 Juanita says the attack left her too afraid to leave her home Credit: True Life Stories 'The next day he came for a walk down the canal with me, my daughter, her partner and my granddaughter. 'I was glad to have made a new friend. 'But as Meynard was so interested in my life, I wondered if there was more between us. 'It had been years since I'd been with a man, I felt special.' Later that week, Murambakanda hosted a neighbourhood BBQ in his back-garden. To Juanita's delight, he invited her to join. She says: 'I was excited as I never left the house. He took me into the back garden and I recognised lots of my neighbours and locals. 'I sat with them and we all had a nice catch up. Whilst Meynard did the BBQ and kept disappearing inside. I pleaded with him to stop, but he laughed and continue Juanita Greenhalph 'Due to my diabetes meds, I hadn't drank alcohol for nine years. So I stuck to water.' After a few hours, Murambakanda ran out of meat for the BBQ and Juanita kindly offered to walk to Lidl to get more. Murambakanda insisted on joining her, and as she paid for the extra steaks and sausages, he helped her with her bags. Juanita says: 'Back at the BBQ, Meynard offered me a cup of tea, my thought was, 'how sweet of him.' 'I thanked him, and he made me a nice brew.' But just an hour after drinking her tea, Juanita began to feel woozy. 'I told him I felt very tired and my eyes were heavy,' she recalls. 'He told me I should have a lay down, before helping me out of the garden to go inside. 'My vision went very blurry, then everything went black. 'When I next opened my eyes, I was on Meynard's bed. He was on top of me, raping me. 'I pleaded with him to stop, but he laughed and continued. My eyes were still droopy and I drifted off again. 'When I next woke, he flipped me over and raped me from behind. I tried to stop him, but I lost consciousness again.' Juanita woke up again to Murambakanda holding a wet towel on her head, telling her that she was sweating. She fell unconscious again, and woke up in a silent house the next morning, realising Murambakanda and the neighbours were gone. Juanita says: 'I broke down in tears and rang my daughter. I begged her to come pick me up. 'Half an hour later she came with her partner. I was sobbing uncontrollably. I had agonising pain below, my daughter was horrified.' Back at Juanita's home, her daughter realised that her mum's bank card was missing. 'She went onto my banking app and saw £650 had been withdrawn,' Juanita says. 'I realised Meynard must've seen my pin number when I bought the meats at Lidl. He stole my money. 'I pulled down my top and showed my daughter my bruises. I told her he drugged me with a cup of tea and raped me. 'I was hysterical. I also felt like it was all my fault. I felt stupid.' Juanita's daughter helped her ring the police and 20 minutes later, two police officers arrived. Whilst Juanita was taken to the rape clinic to have swabs taken, police couldn't find Murambakanda. Two weeks later, they tracked him down at his house, and was arrested. Whenever I thought I could no longer live with such pain, I looked at photos of my grandkids. They kept me alive Juanita Greenhalph Juanita says: 'He denied seeing me that day but police had CCTV footage of us together at the shops, and the bank confirmed he'd withdrawn the money. 'Although Meynard was charged, and remanded, I lived in fear every day after that. 'Every time I looked out my bedroom window, I thought I saw him in the bushes, watching me. 'I couldn't sleep. I ended up moving my bed from the window, and keeping my curtains shut. 'Months later my daughter gave birth to my second grandchild but I was so depressed I didn't meet her. 'Due to my PTSD, I missed the first year of my new granddaughter's life. I shut my family out. 'But, whenever I thought I could no longer live with such pain, I looked at photos of my grandkids. They kept me alive.' In March 2023, Meynard Murambakanda, now 34, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to two counts of rape against at Manchester Crown Court. Juanita says: 'I was too terrified to see him again, I stayed away from court. 'But my case officer visited me, to break the news of his eight year sentence. The court also ordered Meynard to be deported back to Africa after his sentence. 'I burst into tears. For such a long time, I lived in fear and shame. 'Meynard knew I was very vulnerable when we met and he targeted me, taking my kindness for weakness. 'Now, I'm trying to make it up to my kids and grandkids for lost time. And I'm getting my strength back, day by day. 'If you have been assaulted, please tell someone. There will be people there to help you. It's never your fault.'
Scottish Sun
09-07-2025
- Scottish Sun
My twisted brother abused me for years, the sickening response I got when I finally told my mum meant I lost her too
IT WAS the moment Shavoughne Firth had been waiting for - finally her abuser had been caught in the act. But as the relief washed over her, the then six-year-old could never have imagined her ordeal would take an even darker twist. 7 Shavoughne Firth suffered years of abuse at the hands of her own brother Credit: True Life Stories 7 She was just five years old when her older brother Kieren Firth began his attacks Credit: True Life Stories 7 Kieran Firth was sentenced to eight years in prison for his seven-year-long campaign of abuse Credit: True Life Stories Shavoughne, 27, from Penzance, Cornwall, says that while Kieran Firth, 37,...
The Sun
09-07-2025
- The Sun
My twisted brother abused me for years, the sickening response I got when I finally told my mum meant I lost her too
IT WAS the moment Shavoughne Firth had been waiting for - finally her abuser had been caught in the act. But as the relief washed over her, the then six-year-old could never have imagined her ordeal would take an even darker twist. 7 7 Shavoughne, 27, from Penzance, Cornwall, says that while Kieran Firth, 37, looked like a caring and protective older brother to the outside world he was a monster who abused her throughout her childhood. Behind closed doors, he preyed on her around the family home and during bath-times from the age of five. To add to the suffering she endured, Shavoughne claims the most painful part was that when her abuser was caught her own mother Cathy* stood by h im. Kieran was sentenced to eight years in prison for his seven-year-long campaign of abuse but it has deeply affected Shavoughne's life, leaving her with anxiety, PTSD and depression. Now, Shavoughne is bravely waiving her anonymity in a bid to raise awareness for sexual abuse within families. Shavoughne, a former shopkeeper, says: 'I know now I am not a victim of my brother. I am a survivor. 'I also walked out of court with no family to greet me, and not only lost my brother but also my mother too after she took his side. 'But I will continue to fight for my healing and I know I will be okay.' INNOCENCE TAKEN Growing up, Shavoughne lived with her parents, and two older brothers, in a large three-bed house in Penzance. She says she always felt closer to her middle brother Alex*, who was two years younger than Kieran. My childhood abuser walked free -Life stories She says: 'I looked up to Alex, whilst Kieran and I weren't as close. 'Most nights after dinner, our parents went to the pub and I'd play with Alex. 'But Kieran would keep to himself, usually hidden away in his room. 'From as long as I can remember, I always thought mum favoured Kieran. He was born with a rare condition and had a hole in his heart. 'He wasn't supposed to live past his second birthday. So he was their miracle baby. 'I also felt mum's sons were the apple of her eye. Whilst I felt a little left behind.' In 2002, Shavoughne was five years old when she was left home alone with Kieran, then aged 16. Shavoughne was sitting on the living room carpet, watching the television when her older brother first took her innocence. 7 7 She says: 'I suddenly heard Kieran heavily breathing. I turned around and saw he was behind me with his hand down his trousers. 'Kieran laid me down and put his hands in my pants. As he fondled down below, I didn't understand what was happening. 'He told me after that Mum would never find out as it was our little secret. 'I didn't think there was anything to tell.' After that, Kieran preyed on his little sister around the family home whenever they were left alone. Shavoughne says: 'I would cling to my Alex often, feeling safe with him. But once everyone was out of the house, I couldn't hide from Kieran. 'Things got worse, and he began forcing me to touch him. After two years when I was seven, he began abusing me in the bathtub too.' RELENTLESS ABUSE Then one night, in 2004, Kieran was assaulting Shavoughne in the bath whilst babysitting her when Alex came home early. He heard Shavoughne's cries and, assuming there was an intruder, bolted up the stairs. She says: 'He caught Kieran, naked, on top of me in the bath. He grabbed Kieran and they scuffled, before he pinned him to the wall, shouting. 'Yet Kieran said nothing back. Sobbing, naked, I felt ashamed and embarrassed. 'Seeing me cry, Alex wrapped a towel around me to cover me up and told me no-one would touch me again and everything would be okay. 'In that moment, Kieran managed to get away. I felt relief as I thought it was all over. 'But when Alex told mum everything as she came home that night, she said he was lying and making it all up. 'She didn't believe him. It broke my heart. I felt betrayed and only felt I had him on my side.' After that, Kieran stopped abusing Shavoughne after Alex had scared him off. MUM'S BETRAYAL Days later, Shavoughne found the courage to tell Cathy about the abuse. Shavoughne says: 'She said that Kieran was just washing me in the bath. 'I was told to never speak about it again. It was like a knife to my chest. 'Then to make things worse, Alex had to move away and we didn't get a proper goodbye. 'I was devastated. Only two months after he left and was unable to protect me, Kieran pounced again.' When Shavoughne was 10 she started sex education at school and began to realise the true extent of her brother's abuse. 'I wrote mum a long letter that year, telling her how I felt betrayed and isolated but nothing happened and no-one cared,' she says. 'Time passed and I again brought up Kieran and what he did during bathtimes, but she told me she couldn't cope with a son in prison. 'Feeling guilty, I didn't want to be responsible for destroying our family. My voice was silenced again.' The abuse continued until 2010, when Shavoughne was 12, and Kieran was 22. Aged 13, struggling to cope with the trauma, she tried to take her own life. She was in and out of hospital and constantly pulled out of school. She says: 'I battled with PTSD, anxiety and depression from the abuse. 'My suicide attempt was a turning point. I finally found the courage to seek help and began counselling. 'Two years later, I broke free from my family, and moved out when I was 15. Although I stayed in touch with my parents, I refused to see Kieran again. 'As Mum and I still had a relationship, I felt trapped for years. Instilled with shame and still being silenced.' At 18, Shavoughne welcomed a baby boy with her now ex-boyfriend. She says: 'I named him after Alex who would always be my hero. The only person in my life who'd ever defended and believed me.' SEEKING JUSTICE Fed up with protecting her family, Shavoughne cut them off and came forward to the police in 2021 aged 24. In December 2024, Kieran Firth, now 37, of St Aubyns, Goldsithney, Penzance, was found guilty on five counts of sexual offences against a child including two counts of indecent assault, two of assault by penetration and one of sexual assault against Shavoughne. He was imprisoned for eight years. Shavoughne, who now has a new partner, Kane, 40, says: 'In court, mum sat in the public gallery taking Kieran's side. It was horrendous. 'Luckily Alex showed up at court and told the jury what he'd seen in the bath that awful night. 'Lawyers tried to blame Kieran's speech issues, a skeletal development disorder and heart condition as an excuse for abusing me. But the jury didn't buy it. 'Now, I'm grieving as he's in prison and also because I don't have a mum anymore. She chose her side and stuck to it. 'I will never get over it. Not having my parents to support me through this has been the hardest bit. 'My partner Kane has been incredibly supportive though. 'Now I'm also working on becoming a mentor to help survivors of sexual abuse.' *Names have been changed 7 YOU'RE NOT ALONE EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide. It doesn't discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society - from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers. It's the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes. Yet it's rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now. That is why The Sun launched the You're Not Alone campaign. The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives. Let's all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others... You're Not Alone. If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
