A survivor of vile child sex abuse hopes waiving his right to anonymity and telling his harrowing story will give others the courage to come forward and help bring paedophiles to justice.

Gary Hill’s abuser Michael Smith was jailed this week.

Gary hopes his story will give others the confidence to come forward.

Gary, now 30, was a little boy of just six when his nightmare began in 1997.

He and other local kids from the Morton Brook area of Sandown used to spend a lot of time with Mike Smith, who lived at Willow Way.

Gary said: “He was a local guy and lots of kids would go into his house and play computer games. He became like a father figure to me, as he knew quite a lot about my life.

“Now I know he was grooming me, but at the time I just trusted him because I knew him. Even throughout the abuse taking place, at first I didn’t know what it was.

“Later on there was the shame aspect, which became the biggest reason for keeping this secret for 21 years. I didn’t want people looking at me in sympathy.

“He was the dinner man at my school, Sandham Middle School, so I tried to avoid him at school because I was so ashamed.

“I felt under pressure at school and used to hide out of the way of him. He made me feel uncomfortable. It messed up my education.

“The abuse only ended when my family moved off the Island.”

He didn’t tell a soul until 2019.

He said: “I tortured myself in my brain, until everything just unravelled.”

The time came for Gary to speak out. He felt he needed to, to move on with his life, and said the relief made him feel like a ‘whole new person’.

He said: “It’s never too late to tell your story. I wanted to face him in court. I chose to stand and look into his eyes across the courtroom. It was what I most desired, to show him I was not scared.”

Mid-way through the trial, Smith changed his pleas and admitted his guilt.

He was jailed for six-and-a-half years.

“But I was happy with the police officers, especially Det Sgt Katy Lee, who has been truly amazing.

“The sentence doesn’t dictate my future, I will do that. I’m more pleased he admitted it.

“If anyone reading this has been in a similar situation, there’s help out there.

“Keeping secrets is too big an impact on your life.

“But also you can stop it happening to others, as these people never change their spots.”

If you would like to discuss your experiences further – please contact Charles Derham on 02393552153 or by email on charles@remedylaw.co.uk to discuss the viability of a civil claim for compensation