Woman Who Fell Pregnant After Uncle Raped Her Explains Why She Didn’t Have An Abortion

A woman has bravely waived her right to anonymity to explain why she didn’t have an abortion after she fell pregnant when her uncle raped her.


Julie Dunlavy, 35, was subjected to 16 years of abuse by her uncle Peter Dunlop, 61, from the age of just 13 until she was 29.
She became pregnant to him twice during that period, after miscarrying she gave birth to her son, who is now eight.
It is a decision she doesn’t regret.
‘When I fell pregnant to him I was devastated,’ she said.

‘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.

‘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.

She said while she was ‘devastated’ it was her uncle’s, she was happy she was going to have another baby.

She added: ‘I did worry that he was going to look like Peter and he would remind me of what happened.

Peter dunlop

‘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.’

Julie was raped by her uncle in his flat for the first time, aged 13. He then continued to subject her her to years of abuse, taking every opportunity he could to assault her.

At the age of 23, she fell pregnant by another man and moved out of home.
But her traumatic childhood caused her to sink in a depression, as a solution her family, who had no idea of the abuse, suggested her uncle move in with her.

She was powerless to resist.
What followed were rapes on a daily basis, causing her to fall pregnant twice.
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.’
Julie gave birth to her second child with Dunlop still in the house. It wasn’t until 2010 when he was arrested for other sex offences that her attacks came to an end.

He was jailed for 15 years for abusing three other girls, three years later Julie mustered the courage to report her abuse to the police.
Another victim then 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.

Dunlop, 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.’

metro.co.uk