Rape survivor who inspired BBC doc after helping jail running coach dies by suicide as Sky Sports star pays tribute
A BRAVE rape survivor who inspired a BBC documentary after helping convict her paedophile running coach has tragically died.
Ex-Sky Sports presenter Charlie Webster has paid tribute to her "courageous and strong" friend Katie, who was found dead at her home in Australia on Sunday.
The broadcaster said: "I’m so sad, hurt & pained to say Katie has sadly passed away.
"Katie is my friend, was part of my running group that I made my BBC documentary Nowhere to Run: Abused by Our Coach about. Katie died by suicide."
Charlie, 40, explained how she and Katie met at a running club in Sheffield when they were children - and soon became best friends.
But in 2021, brave Charlie made a powerful BBC documentary about how the club’s respected coach - Paul North - groomed her and subjected her to horrific sexual assault.
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She revealed Katie was also abused by North - and bravely came face-to-face with him in court to testify against him and put him behind bars.
"For Katie the pain was just too much, her mental health deteriorated and she devastatingly took her own life," Charlie said on a page to bring Katie's body home to the UK.
Charlie hailed her friend as "incredibly courageous, strong and so brave to stand up in court and testify against him".
"Katie saved so many other children from being sexually abused by this abhorrent rapist," she said.
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";We know there were girls abused before us but Katie made sure there were none after us."
Charlie said Katie had tried to start a new life in Australia - and had "fought every step of the way".
"The thing about the trauma of sexual abuse, it doesn’t just go away," she wrote.
"What happened to Katie made her feel worthless like she wasn’t enough, and it impacted her mental health, as is common for all survivors, me including.
"Her family was trying to get Katie to come home to the UK as of late."
The athlete's family are "utterly distraught and just wants to get her back to lay her to rest", Charlie said.
She said Katie's heartbroken mum, Sue, was told by the police that her daughter's body had been found after she had taken her own life.
"Katie was a daughter, a sister, an auntie, and a friend - with a cheeky sense of humour, a determined nature and a twinkle in her eye,"; she said.
The Sun interviewed Charlie Webster in 2021 about the abuse she faced.
She said North arranged “private training sessions” before “massaging” her breasts and groin and penetrating her with his fingers.
It was only when he was jailed for 10 years, when Charlie was 19, that she realised she was not his only victim.
In the course of the documentary, she discovered her closest friends at the club were also abused - with one being raped multiple times.
Charlie kept silent about the abuse for 20 years and says she was too ashamed to speak out, blaming herself.
But after campaigning for abuse victims with the charity Women’s Aid, and encouraging victims to speak about their experiences, she decided to reveal her own trauma to help others.
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North was brought to book in 2002, after a 15-year-old victim who he stripped and assaulted told her father, who reported him to the police.
He was jailed for 10 years, and has since been released.
If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123.
