My evil uncle took my virginity at 9 & raped me in a graveyard, he brainwashed me into thinking I was his girlfriend
GRAVEYARDS are enough to give anyone the creeps, but for Courtney Thompson they are a reminder of the worst times of her life.
At the age of 10 she was raped by her own uncle Robert Wiles, now 50, in a graveyard who had been abusing her for years.
Wiles has been imprisoned for 20 years, and now, Courtney’s bravely waiving her anonymity to speak exclusively to Fabulous about the ‘house of horrors’ she lived in as a child.
Courtney, now 27, from Peterborough, says: “After 20 years, the dark cloud that floated above me has finally gone.
“I’m proud of myself for putting my monster in prison so he can’t hurt another child.
“I want to urge others out there, it’s never too late to get justice for yourself.”
‘He had his hand down my PJs’
In 2004, aged seven, Courtney moved from her hometown, Leicester, to Peterborough under the care of her uncle, Wiles.
Courtney, a warehouse operative, says: “My parents couldn’t care for me anymore and gave him guardianship.
“Uncle Robert was my mum’s brother, and he lived at his mother-in-law’s home.
“Robert’s partner and her mum, Pauline Carr, 72, were all nice at first. They told me my mum would be back in a few years.
“But I felt abandoned, and was filled with dread, thinking it’d be forever.”
Carr’s home was a three-bed house in Peterborough, and they lived with Wile’s and his partner’s baby too.
At first Courtney was treated well, with Carr buying her magazine subscriptions.
But next year, in summer 2005, Courtney woke in the middle of night to Wiles abusing her.
She says: “He had his hand down my PJs. Afterwards I was confused, wondering if it was what uncles did.
“I thought it was normal and didn’t tell anyone.
“Months later, I had eight teeth taken out on my 8th birthday. I came back from the dentist on anaesthetic.
“Barely conscious on the sofa, my uncle hurt me with his fingers.
“After, he warned me it was our secret, and that if I told anyone I’d be put into care.”
Terrified, Courtney lived in silence, afraid of being torn away from even more family members.
Wiles then preyed on her at every chance, abusing her around the home.
In 2006, Wiles raped Courtney on his and his partner’s bed whilst the family were out.
Courtney says: “In agony, I burst into tears as he took my virginity at only nine years old.
“Later that year, I finally moved into a new home with Mum.”
But Wiles continued to visit Courtney at their new home.
Courtney says: “When no-one was home, he’d force himself on me in the house.
“He always told me he loved me and what we had was special. I started to believe we were in a relationship.
“He showered me with gifts and money, which I never received normally.”
The abuse haunted me so badly I couldn’t bear being close to a man
Courtney Thompson
In 2007, when Courtney was 10, twisted Wiles led her into a graveyard.
Courtney says: “Uncle Robert pretended to take me to the shops. But he took me to a graveyard in the local area.
“He raped me behind a shack, just metres from deceased people’s headstones.
“By then, the abuse happened so often it all became normal to me.
“Eventually when I was 11, I tried to kill myself and left a note stating ‘I don’t want him to do this anymore.’
“Still, no-one picked up on it. The abuse finally ended when I got my period and I think he got scared.”
Life went on, and over the years Courtney found a partner too.
Courtney says: “Coming to terms with it all killed me slowly. I felt dead inside.
“I developed anxiety and deep, debilitating mental issues.
“The abuse haunted me so badly I couldn’t bear being close to a man.
“I turned to women instead, but even then I couldn’t bury the abuse in any of my relationships.
How to report a sexual assault
- Contact a doctor or practice nurse at your GP surgery.
- Contact a voluntary organisation, such as Rape Crisis, Women’s Aid, Victim Support, The Survivors Trust or Male Survivors Partnership.
- Call the 24-hour freephone National Domestic Abuse Helpline, run by Refuge, on 0808 2000 247.
- Speak to the rape and sexual abuse support line run by Rape Crisis England and Wales – you can call the helpline on 0808 500 2222 or use the online chat (both are free and are open 24 hours a day, every day of the year).
“I didn’t like to be touched and struggled with intimacy.
“Then, I discovered my womb was tilted as a result of the abuse, stopping me from having kids.
“Still, I thought I’d die with the secret of what happened in that graveyard, and all the abuse before it.”
But when small children in the family started visiting Wiles over the years, Courtney became terrified.
In December 2018, she came forward to the police to report historic child abuse.
In March 2024, Robert Wiles, now 50, from Orton Goldhay, Peterborough, was found guilty of two counts of assaulting a child by touching, three counts of assaulting a child by penetration and five counts of raping a child against Courtney.
That day, he was jailed for 20 years at Peterborough Crown Court.
Courtney says: “In court, my new partner, Amy, my family all listened to every horrific detail, whilst sobbing.
“Although I still grieve for the childhood I didn’t have, the love I didn’t get and the apologies I never received, I’m relieved our monsters are in prison.
“To any other survivors out there, please call a helpline, or reach out to a loved one, and set yourself free like I did.
“My only regret is that I didn’t do it sooner.”