Child abuse victim reveals his ‘monster’ mum bullied, taunted, beat and starved him – so he was forced to eat HAMSTER food to survive
Andrew Copley was locked in a dark cupboard, beaten with a dog lead and dunked in icy baths by his cruel mother, who was convicted of abuse in April
AN ABUSED son has spoken out about his “monster” mother who taunted, beat and starved him – and said he was forced to eat dog and hamster food to survive.
Andrew Copley, 38, suffered 10 years of shocking abuse at the hands of his evil mother, Christine Copley, 66, who was jailed for three years in April 2017 after being found guilty of six counts of cruelty.
During the trial, Exeter Crown Court heard how the pensioner would lock Andrew in a dark, dirty cupboard, whip him with a dog lead and force him to stand outside naked.
Now, brave Andrew, of Exeter, Devon, is talking about his terrible ordeal, to encourage other victims of child abuse to come forward and seek justice.
He said: “To me, the trial was more about being believed. Three years isn’t a long sentence, but it’s long enough to prove I was telling the truth.
“I don’t call her mum anymore. I can’t. I call her Christine instead, because a mother could never do what she did. Only a monster could.”
Andrew’s only happy memories of growing up – which include playing with local children and enjoying days out at the seaside – come from spending time with his grandparents.
They are in stark contrast to his recollections of time spent with Christine, who he lived with after his parents split when he was small.
He said: “The house was filthy. There was dog excrement all over the floor, and no carpet. There was nowhere to go for comfort except a field at the bottom of the garden, where I’d sit by myself.
“From virtually the moment I was born, Christine didn’t want me. After having my older brothers, she’d wanted a girl, so when I arrived, she was furious. She would tell me she wished I’d died at birth.”
Suffering regular violence, by the age of six or seven, Andrew remembers the beatings becoming so bad that he “became immune” to the pain.
Christine would then dunk him in an icy bath afterwards, to reduce visible bruising.
On top of this, she subjected him to vile emotional abuse – taking his Christmas and birthday presents and selling them at car boot sales.
She also threatened to abandon his beloved dog, Dylan, down a country lane unless he told her he loved her.
And while she starved Andrew, she would gorge on crisps and chocolate.
“I was very skinny, because I didn’t eat. Christine made meals for herself, then would show me the empty saucepan. Sometimes, there’d be no food for days. I begged other pupils at school for leftovers, or I ate hamster food and dog biscuits, just to survive,” he continued.
Although Andrew had a circle of friends, he never felt he could confide in them about what was happening at home.
On a few occasions, there were social services probes, but sufficient evidence to remove him from Christine’s house was never found.
When he turned 14, he got a job with a mobile video service, giving him a taste of independence.
But Christine soon started wanting money from his pay packet, sparking a violent argument, which led to him finally leaving for good.
Most Read in Living
Andrew recalled: “The final straw was when she hit me with a wine bottle for refusing to give her money.
“In that moment, I knew she’d never change and that I had to get out. I ran past her, out of the house. She chased after me, but I eventually got away with just the clothes on my back. I didn’t bring anything else with me.
“I ran to the train station to call my dad, Barry, who has since passed away, and from that day on I lived with him. He had demons with drink, so life wasn’t exactly rosy, but it was easier.”
Andrew never lived with Christine again, but he still visited on his way to work, as he wanted to protect his little brother, who cannot be named, and make sure he didn’t come to harm.
He now has a child of his own, who he does not wish to name, and said that becoming a dad encouraged him to have counselling.
“The thought of anyone hurting my child makes me feel physically sick. But I was just a child too, and that hadn’t stopped Christine’s relentless abuse,” said Andrew, who has diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and prescribed anti-depressants.
For years, Andrew pined for justice, but wasn’t sure if anything could be done about a crime that had been committed so long ago.
Then, after hearing about the Jimmy Savile case, he realised it was possible to report historical crimes and so, in 2013, told the police everything.
Christine was arrested, but denied everything. However, she was finally found guilty of cruelty in April 2016.
Sentencing her to three years in prison, Judge Erik Salomonsen condemned her for making her son’s life “a misery.”
By sharing his harrowing story, Andrew is now hoping he can help other people like him to come forward and report their abusers.
“I don’t feel like I’ve got closure. There’s still a lot of questions that need answering, but I want other people who’ve been abused to know that it isn’t their fault. They have nothing to be ashamed of,” he said.
“I still relive what Christine did on a daily basis. I was an innocent child. It should never have happened, but at least now I’m finally believed. I’ve a long road ahead of me but, hopefully I’ll find my place in the world.”
A spokesman for Devon County Council said: “This is a terrible case of historical child cruelty. Since the 1980s there has been far greater emphasis and focus on child protection by all authorities with responsibility for safeguarding.
“Much stronger systems and processes are in place now that identifies risk of abuse, raises awareness across partner agencies, and that offers intervention or support to remove individuals from risk, better protecting vulnerable children.”
A monstrous mum-of-three was recently jailed for filming herself sexually abusing her children and uploading the footage to a paedophile site.
A heartbroken mum recently told The Sun how her son was left traumatised and suffering from PTSD after being accused of rape at TEN.