Mother of child conceived through rape says: 'My son is the only good thing to have come out of what happened.'
12/10/16 Daily Mail
A woman who gave birth to her rapist's baby shares how she loves her son unconditionally despite the fact his father attacked her over a period of 16-years.
Julie Dunlavy, 35, of South Shields, South Tyneside, has bravely waived her right to anonymity to recall how she was sexually abused by her own uncle Peter Dunlop from the age of just 13, until she was 29.
She became pregnant by her uncle, who has been sentenced to 12 years, twice and miscarried before giving birth to her son, who is now eight.
Julie, who was so terrified of Peter, 61, she felt unable to report him, said: 'When I fell pregnant to him (her son) I was devastated.
'It was a big shock but I never considered abortion, I don't believe in it. I told my family it was someone else's baby, a one night stand.'
Devastatingly, however, Julie was faced with further heartbreak when she discovered that she had lost the baby.
She continued: 'When I went to the 12 week scan and there was no heartbeat, losing my baby was hard.
'So when I fell pregnant again, I felt mixed emotions. I was devastated because it was Peter's but happy because I was going to have another baby.
'I did worry that he was going to look like Peter and he would remind me of what happened.'
She added: 'I was worried I wouldn't be able to cope when he was born. But I did cope and I never let Peter touch him.
'I never thought of the babies as his, I thought of them as mine.'
Peter, Julie's mother's brother, would visit her house when she was a child and take her out on trips to visit family.
But when she was 13, Peter took Julie to his flat and raped her for the first time. The abuse continued for years. Every time he saw Julie he took the opportunity to rape her.
When Julie was 23, she fell pregnant by another man and moved out of her mother's house.
However, after everything she had gone through, she sunk into a depression. So when her family, who had no idea about the abuse, suggested Peter move in with her, she felt too weak to resist.
The rapes resumed on a daily basis and Peter would shout and threaten Julie to keep her quiet.
On one occasion even held a knife to her throat. She was too scared to tell anyone about the abuse for fear of what he would do.
Julie miscarried her first pregnancy to Peter before giving birth to her son a year later.
She added: 'The abuse happened so often I lost count of how many times. He would threaten me.
'He would say "tell anyone and I will burn your house down with you and the kids in it". He said he knew people in prison who would hurt us.
'He lived with me for four years, it was horrible. I was scared to go to sleep.
'He used to watch me from the top of the street in case I told anybody. He wouldn't let me go anywhere by myself.'
Peter got Julie pregnant twice during the four years they lived in the same house.
When she gave birth to her second child, she was still living with Peter. She often thought about running away and even considered suicide but could not do it to her two children.
It was not until Peter was arrested for other sex offences in 2010 that he was removed from her house and the attacks came to an end.
Peter went on the run before being locked up for 15 years in 2011 for sexually abusing three other girls.
Although Julie was disgusted she was not the only victim, she still couldn't find the strength to go to the police.
Julie said: 'I was worried my son would get taken off me if people found out he was Peter's.'
But three years later she finally told a friend about the abuse and reported him to the police. Another victim came forward to say he had sexually abused her too.
At Newcastle Crown Court in August of this year he admitted seven specimen counts of rape against Julie and two of indecent assault against the second victim.
Peter, who was already behind bars, has now been sentenced to a further 12 years in prison plus an extended licence period until 2034.
Julie, who went to court to see him sentenced, said: 'I am glad I went to the police after all these years. It feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.
'I am trying to move forward with my life and put it behind me. 'My son is the only good thing to have come out of what happened.'