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.
A group of otters put on a show of aqua aerobics, as they raise their flippers perfectly in sync .
YOU’VE heard of the northern lights now feast your eyes on the natural wonder of the SOUTHERN lights .
HUNDREDS of hot air balloons decorate the sky above Turkey as the rising sun illuminates the spectacular scenery below .
Hot on the heels of a little rabbit, this cheetah is on a mission to catch his prey .
WELCOME to the pretty 122-inch-tall red dwelling that lays claim to the title of the UK's smallest house .
A man who conned tax officials out of £34 million and funded a lavish lifestyle of luxury hotels and restaurants has been jailed for one of the longest sentences in British criminal fraud history .
THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS - 250 DRIVERS ARRESTED FOR STREET RACING IN BIRMINGHAM- In Pic - The start line on the Heartlands Parkway Nechels Birmingham .
A SPECTRUM of colours fills the sky during this spectacular and natural display of light .
A once bustling gold rush town in Mono County, California now stands completed deserted .
From a floating jelly fish to a relaxed seal, Britain’s unappreciated beach life is captured above and below the water .
THIS is the EXPLOSIVE moment when a 50 metre high pylon came crashing down to earth in a rural field .
STRETCHING his little legs in the air, a smiley leaf-tailed gecko breaks free from his old, scaly skin .