A British rape survivor who impressed a BBC documentary after serving to convict her paedophile operating coach has tragically died at her house in Sydney, Australia.
Sky Sports presenter Charlie Webster confirmed her good friend Katie – whose final identify was not offered – had been discovered useless on Sunday.
The athlete’s household are “utterly distraught and just wants to get her back to lay her to rest”, Charlie mentioned.
She mentioned Katie’s heartbroken mum, Sue, was instructed by the police that her daughter’s physique had been discovered after she had taken her personal life.
“Katie was a daughter, a sister, an aunty, and a friend – with a cheeky sense of humour, a determined nature and a twinkle in her eye,” she mentioned.
Charlie paid tribute to her “courageous and strong” good friend in a put up on Twitter.
“I’m so sad, hurt & pained to say Katie has sadly passed away,” she wrote.
“Katie is my friend, was part of my running group that I made my BBC documentary Nowhere to Run: Abused by Our Coach about. Katie died by suicide.”
Charlie, 40, defined how she and Katie met at a operating membership in Sheffield after they have been kids – and shortly turned finest mates.
But not all was because it appeared.
In 2021, Charlie made a robust BBC documentary about how the membership’s revered coach – Paul North – groomed her and subjected her to horrific sexual assault, The Sun experiences.
She revealed Katie was additionally abused by North – and bravely got here face-to-face with him in courtroom to testify towards him and put him behind bars.
“For Katie the pain was just too much, her mental health deteriorated and she devastatingly took her own life,” Charlie mentioned on a GoFundMe web page to carry Katie’s physique house to the UK.
Charlie hailed her good friend as “incredibly courageous, strong and so brave to stand up in court and testify against him”.
“Katie saved so many other children from being sexually abused by this abhorrent rapist,” she mentioned.
“We know there were girls abused before us but Katie made sure there were none after us.”
Charlie mentioned Katie had tried to start out a brand new life in Australia – and had “fought every step of the way”.
“The thing about the trauma of sexual abuse, it doesn’t just go away,” she wrote.
“What happened to Katie made her feel worthless like she wasn’t enough, and it impacted her mental health, as is common for all survivors, me including.
“Her family was trying to get Katie to come home to the UK as of late.”
The Sun interviewed Charlie Webster in 2021 concerning the abuse she endured.
She mentioned North organized “private training sessions” earlier than “massaging” her breasts and groin and penetrating her together with his fingers.
It was solely when he was jailed for 10 years, when Charlie was 19, that she realised she was not his solely sufferer.
In the course of the documentary, she found her closest mates on the membership have been additionally abused – with one being raped a number of instances.
Charlie stored silent concerning the abuse for 20 years and says she was too ashamed to talk out, blaming herself.
But after campaigning for abuse victims with the charity Women’s Aid, and inspiring victims to talk about their experiences, she determined to disclose her personal trauma to assist others.
North was convicted of his crimes in 2002, after a 15-year-old sufferer who he stripped and assaulted instructed her father, who reported him to the police.
He was jailed for 10 years, and has since been launched.
This story initially appeared in The Sun and was reproduced right here with permission.
