Sex Abuse Victim 'Felt On Trial' Before Suicide

A talented violinist who took her own life felt she was the one on trial after giving evidence about abuse by her music teacher.

Frances Andrade’s husband described how his wife spiralled into depression after her court appearance and took a fatal overdose less than a week later.

Speaking at Woking Coroners Court, Levine Andrade said: “Apart from the trial bringing it all back up she felt the defence barrister seemed to be attacking her personally.

“It got her completely down and she felt completely defenceless.

“I think she felt she was not prepared enough for the trial. She was not expecting to be attacked personally and have to answer so many direct questions in public.

“The words she used were, she felt, as if she were the one on trial.”

Mrs Andrade, 48, from Guildford, was found dead by her family in January 2013. She was 14 and 15 when she was abused by her former choirmaster Michael Brewer.

A former director of the World Youth Choir, Brewer went on to get a six-year sentence for five counts of indecent assault against Mrs Andrade.

His ex-wife, Kay Brewer, was also convicted of indecently assaulting Mrs Andrade when she was an adult at their former family home. She was sentenced to 21 months in prison.

The court heard the mother-of-four fell into an “incredible despair” after first speaking to Surrey Police about the abuse and attempted suicide twice in the months before her death.

Mr Andrade said his wife withdrew from family life and would spend days in bed.

“She had very, very low mood swings… She did not want to see anyone or speak to anyone,” he said.

“I was doing everything for the children and taking over her teaching as well because she just could not face it.

“It was very out of character, she loved the children, absolutely adored them … For a short time she came out of it, everything seemed fine. Then maybe she would see something on the news and that would get her on the downturn again.”

The court heard that Mrs Andrade had met Brewer twice since the abuse and had asked him to hand himself in.

Her husband also described how she “felt helpless” after tracing her birth mother to Canada, only to find out she had two forms of cancer.

Mr Andrade found his wife dead on January 24 last year when he went to offer her a cup of tea and noticed she was cold.

One of her sons tried CPR but paramedics later pronounced her dead.

A serious case review by Surrey Safeguarding Adults Board found Frances Andrade’s death “could and should” have been prevented, and that mental health services had let her down.

Her death also led to calls to rethink how sexual abuse victims are treated by the courts.

The inquest into her death continues.

Source Article from https://uk.news.yahoo.com/sex-abuse-victim-felt-trial-suicide-203119298.html

Sex Abuse Victim 'Felt On Trial' Before Suicide