Kaitlin pictured aged nine - Heart pounding, Kaitlin Womack stared in shock at a Facebook post on her phone. In that moment, a horrifying memory from her childhood came flooding back. It was 2016, and her former neighbour, Kert Birtwistle, 29, had been convicted of child sexual offences. Seeing his face on her screen knocked Kaitlin, 25, for six. Because what nobody knew was that she’d been harbouring an awful secret since the age of nine. Birtwistle had subjected Kaitlin to three sickening sexual assaults while she played at his house as a child, including touching her privates under her swimming costume. Three years later, in 2019, Kaitlin, from Preston, reported Birtwistle to the police. When she did, six other victims also bravely came forward. In October 2024, Birtwistle, from Blackpool, was convicted of 14 charges, including rape and sexual assault. He was jailed for 12 years at Preston Crown Court. His brother, Jordan Wright, 28, also pleaded guilty to 18 sexual offences and was jailed for over 16 years. Now, Kaitlin is courageously waiving her right to anonymity to help encourage other survivors to report their abusers to the police.
THESE kingfishers prove no rod is needed as they go fishing for their dinner .
SWIMMING in unison, millions of silverside fish dwarf the divers .
THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS - 250 DRIVERS ARRESTED FOR STREET RACING IN BIRMINGHAM- In Pic - The start line on the Heartlands Parkway Nechels Birmingham .
This is the moment a nimble red fox and a lumbering Alaskan brown bear were locked in a tense stand-off .
A TEN-THOUSAND square foot wide Avatar-style grove is such a beauty it will leave you feeling VINE .
WIDE EYED and staring straight down the lens of the camera, this intrigued seal is ready for his close up .
Suspended FIFTY metres in the air, this is the last place that you would expect to find a fine dining experience .
A cheeky owl fancies a game of hide and seek as it peeps out from behind a tree .
AN OLD ENGLISH cottage packed full of history and valuables has been left to rot .
A disabled sheep is enjoying a new fleece of life after receiving a specially-designed wheelchair .
A NINJA red squirrel cuts a dashing figure as the little fella jumps up to ten-feet between treetops in the Yorkshire Dales .