Latest news with #PulitzerPrize-nominated
Scottish Sun
9 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
My paedo dad sold me for sex to dozens of truckers in laybys and carved ‘warning' symbols into my skin after raping me
In exclusive tales from her gut-wrenching new memoir, Kate Price reveals how her darkest memories were hidden for decades until a life-changing moment MONSTROUS BETRAYAL My paedo dad sold me for sex to dozens of truckers in laybys and carved 'warning' symbols into my skin after raping me Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) UNTIL the age of 12, Kate Price lived in fear of her violent father, who subjected her to frequent beatings and sickening sexual assaults. But over the decades that followed, she was plagued by disturbing, hazy flashbacks that indicated she'd endured an even darker horror, with only a breadcrumb trail of clues that included a mysterious figure called 'Chicken Plucker'. 6 Kate Price, now in her 50s, told The Sun how she broke a cycle of abuse to create a loving family 6 Kate as a young girl posing with her childhood cat on her family's front porch It was only when she embarked on radical treatment with a trauma specialist that she unlocked hidden memories and discovered she'd been horrifically drugged and sold for sex by her father to strangers in laybys across Pennsylvania. 'With my eyes open, I saw a hundred trucker men who had raped me," she says now. Kate's gut-wrenching story first came to prominence in a Pulitzer Prize-nominated investigation that shone a light on the sickening underground network of predators operating in the US state, with judges, attorneys, and law enforcement officials corroborating key details of her shocking flashbacks. Her father, who has since died, was never charged. He was investigated by federal officials but denied any wrongdoing. In her remarkably powerful new memoir – serialised in three parts here for The Sun – Kate, now in her 50s, tells how she broke a cycle of abuse to create a loving family of her own and become an advocate for trafficking victims... Part One: 'You will always be mine' "Where's Daddy?" was the first sentence I ever spoke. I asked this not because I wanted to find him, but because I didn't want him to find me. Most days, my father would stop at a bar on the way home from work and drink with his friends. By the time he walked in he was fuelled with liquor and rage, looking for my older sister Sissy or me. He'd ambush whomever he found first, pounding us with clenched fists, careful not to leave any bruises on the more visible parts of our bodies. Punches to the stomach and knocks to the sides of our heads were standard. Choking happened on a less regular basis. I was abused by my HIV positive father My father often woke me hours after I had gone to sleep and loaded me into his pickup or took me to our garage behind the house, though the details of what happened after were vague. On those nights I often woke to the smell of rubbing alcohol and the feeling of a cold ball wiping my bicep before I felt my father's rough hands prick my arm with a needle. Or he'd wake me with instructions. 'Drink this,' he'd whisper, handing me a plastic bottle filled with a gooey liquid that tasted like cough syrup. He would whisper, 'Shhh, we're going to a party.' My body would go limp as my father took off my nightgown and changed me into clothes, my mind sputtering in and out of consciousness as he carried my listless body outside. I always woke up in the morning wearing my nightgown but no underwear. My hands would cup the soreness between my legs. I'd have no idea what had happened. My brain struggling to patch together various slivers of memory – flashes of glaring headlights, empty beer bottles, an abandoned warehouse, a movie theatre, and our backyard garage; wisps of smells of motor oil, wet grass, whiskey, beer, and cheap cologne filling my nose; the sounds of running truck engines and men laughing. No longer wanting to deal with the despair, I grabbed the first pill bottle I could find and swallowed one pill after another Kate Price When I was six, my father discovered I had a crush on my neighbour Bobby, who was a year older. In one swift motion, he yanked me forward, grabbing and turning my left wrist to expose the tenderest part of my arm. Then he snatched his ever-present pocketknife. I stood frozen as he dug an X into my forearm. Despite the pain, I was too shocked to scream. 'You are mine,' he said, spitting the words as he carved. 'You will always be mine.' I'm not sure whether my father carried or threw me down the two flights of stairs to our basement. Either way, I passed out. When I woke, my entire body ached as I replayed the relentless punches and kicks. I was certain my father intended to kill me and might one day succeed. And it would be my fault, because as he had told me, 'You make me do bad things.' 6 A young Kate poses with a basket on Easter Sunday Credit: SUPPLIED Later on, I decided to take matters into my own hands. One detail lodged in my brain was a name I'd heard my father use on his CB radio – a man called Chicken Plucker. Who was this? One day, I leaned into my father's truck and picked up the CB microphone. 'I am looking for 'Chicken Plucker,' I said. A voice crackled, 'This is Chicken Plucker …' Without warning my father appeared. He just smirked. The curious part of me was satisfied. Whatever was happening to me was real. My quest to learn the truth had begun. I'd have no idea what had happened. My brain struggling to patch together various slivers of memory Kate Price My father was the only authority I had on boyfriends and girlfriends. 'You make me feel so special and loved,' he said, as we lay together in my bed. 'This is our special time that's just for us. Don't ever tell Mommy or Sissy.' I didn't protest. At the time, I thought this was normal, especially after he had explained, 'This happened to me, so it's happening to you.' I didn't know I was allowed to say no. 'Only special little girls get to be sexy,' he said. On one hand, I liked the way his affection made me feel important, yet on the other hand, such intimacy made me feel like I was his wife, not his little girl. When I was twelve, my mother sat me down. 'Your father's gone,' she said. 'And he's not coming back. He's marrying someone else.' 6 Kate poses for her second grade school photo in 1977 Credit: Supplied While relieved I no longer had to suffer, a part of me was crushed and betrayed. My father's mistress was only seven years older than Sissy. When I finally met this woman months later, she dripped with sex, the opposite of my mother in every way. My sense of shame and despair around what had transpired in my home in rural Pennsylvania, which I couldn't tell anyone about, peaked one winter night aged 16. No longer wanting to deal with the despair, I grabbed the first pill bottle I could find and swallowed one pill after another. Nothing happened. I could breathe easy for the very first time after my father and stepmother moved to Florida. Part Two: Confronting the horror After her father and stepmother moved to Florida, Kate managed to turn her life around by going to university. But it wasn't until years later that she met trauma specialist Dr Bessel van der Kolk, who used eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), a form of psychotherapy designed to treat post-traumatic stress disorder. She learned her body stored the pain from those early experiences, as hidden memories reemerged of how her father had trafficked her to strangers in laybys across Pennsylvania's Interstate 80. As Kate drew strength from her treatments and learned more about sexual abuse, she learned her dad was working as an electrician at a hospital – and so wrote to them to warn them about his predatory history. Hearing the hospital took steps to protect their patients, she found the courage to confront her father about his abuse... I was about to speak the biggest truth of my entire life. In my EMDR sessions I'd pictured challenging my father like this, and now I was ready to speak truth to power in real life. 'So, Dad, you know how you apologised that time a couple of years ago for being a bad father, for leaving us?' I said. 'Well, what about admitting and apologising for hitting me … sexually abusing me? Dad, you raped me. A lot.' I stopped short of confronting my father about trafficking me; mustering the courage to speak up about his abuse was difficult enough. Silence. Followed by an explosion. 'Now she's saying I raped her!' he screamed to his third and most recent wife. I wasn't going to let this go. It had taken me 28 years to find my voice and my truth. 'Dad, this happened,' I maintained. 'You know this happened. These things . . . you did this to me.' But there would be no remembering, no admitting, no apologising. Right before the line went dead, my father shouted, 'Don't you ever call me again!' Part Three: Fighting the traffickers 6 Kate is speaking out to shed a light on what children are still enduring In 2003, Kate married Chris, who had supported her when she'd first told him about her past. They later adopted a son. Then, over ten years, she investigated the crimes against her. And, although her father died recently, she had long given up hope of ever getting justice… The police had never investigated any domestic violence disturbances at my childhood home or arrested my father. Internet searches to identify the liquid my father made me drink also came up empty. I suspected the substance was some sort of medicine my father procured at the hospital where he worked as an electrician or flavoured alcohol but never found any confirmation. I eventually found a clue. I discovered 'Chicken Plucker' means 'paedophile' in trucker slang. I wasn't seeking vengeance against my father: I already had so many personal triumphs – loving family, loyal friends, thriving career, and a loving community – that I didn't need to exact a pound of flesh from an old man who couldn't hurt me any longer. I sought the truth. My father and scores of men had objectified my body. And others allowed this dehumanization and transactional violence to happen. I could have charged him with the crimes he committed against me. But I didn't have faith he would be convicted. I didn't trust a jury of my father's peers. The crimes perpetrated against me ravaged my central nervous system but have put my life's purpose into clear focus. Fighting for justice is in my bones Kate Price I am sharing my tragic upbringing to shed a light on what children are still enduring. The crimes perpetrated against me ravaged my central nervous system but have put my life's purpose into clear focus. Fighting for justice is in my bones. I have also joined the local anti–human trafficking task force and provide CSEC (commercial and sexual exploitation of children) training for local law enforcement, advocates, policy-makers, and direct service providers. My father told me I was 'different' from him and my mother after I tracked down 'Chicken Plucker' when I was six. I never quite understood what he meant. Until now. Now I know I am unstoppable. Our familial legacy of enabling and perpetrating violence and exploitation ends with me. I will work to disrupt cycles of child sexual abuse and trafficking until my last breath. This is my calling. This Happened To Me by Kate Price is published by LEAP at £22. If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123.
Daily Record
31-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Record
Princess Margaret 'had foetal alcohol syndrome from Queen Mother's drinking' claims new book
Queen Elizabeth's sister, Princess Margaret, showed some symptoms of foetal alcohol syndrome, according to Pulitzer Prize-nominated biographer Meryle Secrest in her new book. Princess Margaret had foetal alcohol syndrome because the Queen Mother drank while she was pregnant with her - claims a new book. Foetal alcohol syndrome develops when alcohol is exposed to a baby in the womb, which can damage their brain and body and stop them from developing normally. It can result in a loss of pregnancy, and babies who survive may be left with lifelong problems - including with movement, learning communication and hyperactivity. Pulitzer Prize-nominated biographer Meryle Secrest made the claims in a new book in which she analysed Margaret's personality and personal struggles in light of greater knowledge about the condition, reports the Mirror. It comes after Joanna Lumley said King Charles 'really is ill' as she shares rare health battle insight. In her book, it's speculated that Queen Elizabeth's younger sister, who died aged 71 in 2002, suffered from an "invisible disability" due to the condition, The Telegraph reports. The biographer's claims about the princess have not been proven and there is no firm evidence that Margaret suffered from an alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder. The book claims that while Margaret lacked the tell-tale symptoms of smooth lip philtrum and small eyes, she displayed characteristic mood swings, stunted growth, difficulties learning how to write, and painful migraines. It also cites accounts of the Queen Mother's drinking in later life - with claims from a former equerry that during the day she would enjoy gin and Dubonnet. Foetal alcohol syndrome wasn't well understood until the 1970s, the book states, and it is likely that the young Queen Mother would not have been advised to avoid alcohol during her pregnancy with Margaret. But it claims that in the Queen Mother's letters from when she was pregnant with Elizabeth II, she wrote she could not bear the thought of wine, suggesting she may have drunk less when expecting the future queen. She wrote in a 1925 letter to the future King George VI: "The sight of wine simply turns me up! Isn't it extraordinary! It will be a tragedy if I never recover my drinking powers." Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is a condition that develops in a foetus when a pregnant woman drinks alcohol during pregnancy, explains the Cleveland Clinic. A syndrome is a group of symptoms that happen together as the result of a particular disease or abnormal condition. When someone has foetal alcohol syndrome, they're at the most severe end of what are known as foetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). The condition is life-long and can't be cured. It can be prevented if you don't drink any alcohol during pregnancy, as even small amounts can damage your developing foetus. The new biography, named Princess Margaret and the Curse: An Inquiry into a Royal Life, has been written by comparing Margaret's life with those who have suffered from the condition. It will be released by the US house Skyhorse Publishing.
Irish Independent
31-07-2025
- Health
- Irish Independent
Princess Margaret ‘left with foetal alcohol syndrome after Queen Mother's drinking', new book claims
The syndrome is caused by a developing baby's exposure to alcohol in the womb and can give the child distinctive facial features and cause difficulties with learning, impulse control and managing emotions. Meryle Secrest, a Pulitzer Prize-nominated biographer, has re-examined the princess's personality and personal struggles in light of greater knowledge about the condition. Princess Margaret and the Curse, Ms Secrest's forthcoming unofficial biography, speculates that the princess, who died in 2002 aged 72, suffered from an 'invisible disability' brought on by foetal alcohol syndrome. While the book states that Margaret lacked the alcohol syndrome's tell-tale smooth lip philtrum and small eyes, she did display characteristic mood swings, stunted growth, difficulties learning how to write and painful migraines. It will be a tragedy if I never recover my drinking powers It cites accounts of the Queen Mother's drinking in later life, when it was claimed by a former equerry that she would enjoy gin and Dubonnet: two parts pink vermouth to one part gin, wine and port until the 6pm 'magic hour' when martinis would be prepared. Foetal alcohol syndrome was not well understood until the 1970s, the book states, and it is likely that the young mother would have not been advised to avoid alcohol during her pregnancy with Margaret. But the book says that in the Queen Mother's letters from the time of her pregnancy with Elizabeth II, she writes that she could not bear the thought of wine, suggesting that she may have drunk less when expecting the future queen. A 1925 letter to the future King George VI said: 'The sight of wine simply turns me up! Isn't it extraordinary! It will be a tragedy if I never recover my drinking powers.' The book puts forward no claim that the late queen suffered from any condition. Ms Secrest, who was awarded a medal for her work in 2006 by George W Bush, the former US president, has looked at Margaret's life and compared it to typical cases of foetal alcohol syndrome. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more Now 95, the biographer notes that children with the syndrome may typically misbehave and have difficulty regulating their behaviour and emotions. The biography states that Margaret's family and her nurses found her to be 'naughty' and 'mischievous and provocative', at one point sinking a boat during a rowing lesson by removing the plug in the hull. She was also impulsive and would 'blurt out the truth', it is claimed, as can be common among those with foetal alcohol syndrome. The princess suffered a nervous breakdown in 1974. Margaret's later private life would also raise eyebrows. Her marriage to Lord Snowdon ended in divorce after both partners had extra-marital affairs. The book states that sufferers often have stunted growth and notes that Margaret appeared to stop growing when she reached 5ft. Additionally, it is claimed she had a poor awareness of physical danger, another effect, citing her apparent indifference to setting her hair on fire during a family get-together. Ms Secrest has cited the work of Dr Kenneth Jones, a leading expert in foetal alcohol syndrome, who first properly identified the issue in 1973. There is no firm evidence that Margaret suffered from an alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder, and the new book has been written by comparing Margaret's life – as attested in pre-existing written sources – with those who have suffered from the condition.
Sky News AU
31-07-2025
- Health
- Sky News AU
Bombshell new book slammed for ‘disgraceful' claim Princess Margaret suffered secret illness
A bombshell new royal book by a Pulitzer Prize-nominated biographer has been slammed over sensational claims about the late Queen's sister Princess Margaret. The book, titled Princess Margaret and the Curse, claims that the late royal had a secret illness throughout her life passed on by the Queen Mother. Author Meryle Secrest alleges Margaret secretly suffered from a condition from childhood called foetal alcohol syndrome due to the late Queen Mother's heavy drinking. According to the Mayo Clinic, foetal alcohol syndrome is a condition in a child that results from alcohol exposure during the mother's pregnancy. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause the child to have disabilities related to behaviour, learning and thinking, and physical development. The symptoms of foetal alcohol syndrome vary from child to child but are lifelong. Ms Secrest claimed that signs that Margaret could have had the syndrome include her notorious mood swings, small stature, learning difficulties and painful migraines. The author also claimed that Margaret was "naughty, mischievous and provocative", and would "blurt out the truth', which is deemed to be a typical symptom of foetal alcohol syndrome. The late royal family member was notorious for her hard living, including heavy smoking and drinking, which likely contributed to her relatively early death at age 71 in 2002. The Queen Mother's heavy drinking, including her penchant for endless rounds of gin, port and martinis, has been confirmed by former staffers and equerries. Nevertheless, The Telegraph newspaper has concluded there is 'no firm evidence' Margaret suffered the condition. "There is no firm evidence that Margaret suffered from an alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder, and the new biography has been written by comparing Margaret's life, as attested in pre-existing written sources, with those who have suffered from the condition," the newspaper concluded. On social media, supporters of the late royal hit back at the 'disgraceful' allegation. 'Disgraceful. Princess Margaret was beautiful and elegant. Witty, fun and feisty,' one person wrote. The bombshell book about the Queen's late sister comes days after former royal butler Paul Burrell confirmed he is also releasing a book about his former employers in September. The Burrell book is expected to include candid and never-before-heard stories about the late Princess Diana, as well as King Charles and Princes William and Harry.
Sydney Morning Herald
31-07-2025
- Health
- Sydney Morning Herald
Princess Margaret ‘left with fetal alcohol syndrome after Queen Mother's drinking'
Princess Margaret suffered from fetal alcohol syndrome brought on by the Queen Mother's drinking, a new biography has claimed. The syndrome is caused by a developing baby's exposure to alcohol in the womb and can give the child distinctive facial features and cause difficulties with learning, impulse control and managing emotions. Meryle Secrest, a Pulitzer Prize-nominated biographer, has re-examined the princess's personality and personal struggles in light of greater knowledge about the condition. Princess Margaret and the Curse, Secrest's forthcoming unofficial biography, speculates that the princess, who died in 2002 aged 72, suffered from an 'invisible disability' brought on by fetal alcohol syndrome. While the book states that Margaret lacked the alcohol syndrome's tell-tale smooth lip philtrum and small eyes, she did display characteristic mood-swings, stunted growth, difficulties learning how to write and painful migraines. It cites accounts of the Queen Mother's drinking in later life, when it was claimed by a former equerry that she would enjoy gin and Dubonnet: two parts pink vermouth to one part gin, wine and port until the 6pm 'magic hour' when martinis would be prepared. Fetal alcohol syndrome was not well understood until the 1970s, the book states, and it is likely that the young Queen Mother would not have been advised to avoid alcohol during her pregnancy with Margaret.
