Leah Green was in primary school when the abuse began.
During her early adolescence, she endured inappropriate sexual behaviour from her step-dad Martin Falconer, 66, who is now in prison for his crimes. The 21-year-old claims Falconer put a camera in her bedroom to film her, and later tried to rape her, the ECHO reports.
On Tuesday, November 26, Falconer, of Spennymoor Court, Runcorn, was jailed for 16 years at Chester Crown Court. At a trial in June, he was found guilty of five counts of sexual activity with a child, attempted rape, one count of sexual assault and one count of possession of indecent photograph/pseudo photograph of a child.
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Leah has chosen to waive her right to anonymity so her story can be heard. Speaking to the ECHO, she said: “I want my story out there. After being called a liar by my family for so many years, I want to be heard.”
She is encouraging others to come forward to stop abusers like Falconer damaging other children. “There are so many little girls out there losing their innocence to these vile men,” said Leah. “There’s something we can do to stop it. You should speak out if you can. You’ll be protecting so many young girls. You’ll be saving little girls’ lives and saving their innocence.”
Falconer moved into the family home when Leah was a toddler. For years, she called him dad, and he played the role of a doting stepfather. According to Leah, Falconer showered her with attention, buying her gifts, running her baths and making her hot water bottles.
“He was loving,” she said, “and I liked the fact I was loved by someone. But I was loved in the wrong way. When I look back now, I think, ‘that’s wasn’t love, that was grooming’.”
Behaviour that would be regarded as completely inappropriate in most families became a ‘normal’ part of Leah’s life. The full details of the abuse are too disturbing to include.
When she was 15, she claims Falconer fitted a camera in her bedroom on the pretext of monitoring her night terrors. She said: “I had full blown arguments to get the camera out my room. I’d turn it off. I’d unplug it. I smashed it up. Nothing worked. Eventually, I just abided by the rules, and that became the new normal. I just thought, I’m not even going to fight now.”
Leah claims it was only when her friend came round and asked why there was a camera in her room that she decided enough was enough. She said: “My friend said, ‘that’s not normal. You need to tell someone.” Leah said she confided in a family friend about what was happening at home, and in October 2019, she reported Falconer to the police.
It took her five long years to get justice, with three separate trials taking place between June 2023 and June 2024. At the second trial in September 2023, Falconer was acquitted of rape, which Leah says left her “devastated”.
Leah feels vindicated by his recent conviction. In a victim impact statement read before Chester Crown Court on Tuesday, she said: “I have spent my entire adult life struggling with depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. I wake most nights with nightmares about the abuse I suffered that feel as real as the day it happened.
“Although I do not think any amount of justice could ever help me heal from what I have had to endure, I do hope that sufficient justice will be given to ensure that Martin is rehabilitated so no other child has to go through what I did at his hands.”
Leah told the ECHO that although going to court was “nerve-racking”, she felt confident on the stand because she knew the truth was on her side. “I didn’t find it scary because I was telling the truth,” she explained. “I was confidently answering the questions. I wasn’t scared of slipping up or being caught out, because I knew I was telling the truth.”
She is urging anyone who sees suspicious behaviour to act fast to stop child abuse. “When I was suffering abuse, the teachers never looked at the signs,” she claims. “I was just a naughty child to them. In reality, I was being abused and no one picked up on those signs. Even just being tired all the time can be a sign of something being wrong. I’d love to make everyone aware of the signs and how to tell something’s not right.
“You should ring social services, tell them what you’ve seen, tell them to investigate because so many children would be saved if teachers recognised it. It’s not on them to save every child, but if they can help one, it makes a difference. These men need to be stopped. “
Leah now works full-time for a mortgage company, and has dreams to one day open her own charity to help vulnerable women and girls. “I just want to to be able to make them aware of what and what isn’t normal,” she said. “I want to be able to advocate for these young girls and I want to be able to help put a stop to child sexual abuse and rape. The more people that come forward, the more chance there is of that happening.”
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