I was beaten and sexually abused by a family friend when I was four – the sick face he pulled at me afterwards will haunt me forever
A man who sexually abused a four-year-old girl when he was 16, then stuck his tongue out at her before fleeing the scene, has finally been jailed more than 30 years later.
Thomas Brown, now 47, was this year found guilty of indecently assaulting Kaylee Thompson when she was a defenceless little girl.
He was jailed for just two years – the maximum he could receive under the lenient laws of the 1990s when the offence took place.
Mother-of-three Kaylee, now 35, from Bradford, said: ‘After the assault, I saw him downstairs and he stuck his tongue out at me.
‘It was an image that haunted me for years. I can finally put that behind me and look to the future.
‘As a four-year-old, I fought back against the attack, and I am still fighting back now. He is a coward, and I am glad people can see him for what he is.’
Kaylee and her brother Sam, then aged six, were being babysat by their cousin while their mother was out one evening in 1994.
Kaylee said: ‘We were staying at my aunt’s house while Mum was out. I remember very little, except that I was wearing pajamas with horses on them.
A man who sexually abused Kaylee Thompson when she was four and he was 16, then stuck his tongue out at her before fleeing, has been jailed more than 30 years on (Kaylee aged four)
‘When I woke up I was standing at the side of the bed and someone was sexually assaulting me. I recognised him as Thomas Brown, a friend of my cousin.
‘I was scared and confused but he was hurting me, so I shouted out and pushed him away. He punched me and I fell onto the bed. When I came round, he’d gone and my face was stinging.’
Kaylee made her way downstairs to find her cousin asleep on the sofa.
‘I couldn’t wake my cousin, but then I heard a noise in the kitchen and Thomas Brown appeared,’ Kaylee continued.
‘He stuck his tongue out at me before walking out of the house. I was terrified of him. I ran back upstairs and my brother woke up and settled me back in bed.’
The next morning, Kaylee had a black eye. ‘I told everyone Thomas Brown had hit me, but I couldn’t tell them about the abuse,’ she said. ‘I didn’t have the vocabulary at that age. I didn’t know what had happened to me.’
Thomas Brown (pictured), now 47, was this year found guilty of indecently assaulting Kaylee when she was just four years old
Kaylee later met her husband, James, and the couple now have three young sons (Pictured: The family of five)
Kaylee, now 35, is pictured with her husband James, with whom she has built a family and a happy life
Kaylee’s family reported the physical assault to police but, shockingly, no further action was taken.
Kaylee became terrified of leaving her bedroom at night and she began wetting the bed.
‘I had flashbacks all through my childhood,’ she said. ‘When I was 16, I got a job in a bar and Thomas Brown came in one night.
‘I knew instantly it was him. I’d had so many flashbacks throughout my childhood and I hadn’t forgotten him.
‘I felt the blood drain from my face. I turned away, refusing even to look at him, and ran out of the bar.
‘We had mutual friends on Facebook and I realised he was friendly with people who had kids of their own. I had to speak out but the longer it went on, the harder it became.
‘I drank heavily to cope and confided in my friends who were always urging me to go to the police. I tried not to let it overshadow my life but the memories of the attack were always in my mind.’
Kaylee later met her husband, James, and the couple now have three young sons together.
At the time of the assault, Kaylee and her six-year-old brother (pictured in 1994) were being babysat by their cousin
Kaylee said her family and her husband James were always supportive, but it took time for her to speak the truth about her attacker (Kaylee with her husband James)
Kaylee, left, with her mother Helen
‘James and my family knew about the abuse and they were always very supportive, but I wasn’t ready to talk to the police,’ said Kaylee.
In 2021, as part of her role as a community development worker, Kaylee was invited to join an advisory group with Bradford Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Survivors Service.
She said: ‘Working there and talking with other survivors made me think I owed it to myself, and to all other women, to speak out.’
Kaylee went to the police in November, 2021, and 47-year-old Brown appeared before Leeds Crown Court in April this year.
‘The cross-examination was tough, the defence barrister repeatedly challenged my memory of events,’ Kaylee said. ‘But I knew I was telling the truth and I held onto that.’
Brown was finally imprisoned for two years and put on the sex offender register for ten years.
‘The process was very stressful,’ Kaylee remembered. ‘I had no support prior to the court case. When I was interviewed, I was taken to the “Vulnerable Victim Suite”, which I objected to.
‘I asked the police officer if they had a “Paedophile Suite” as well. I’m not a victim and I don’t like to be categorised like that.
Kaylee, pictured with her mother, went to the police in November, 2021, and 47-year-old Brown appeared before Leeds Crown Court in April this year
Following her attacker’s sentencing, Kaylee urged other survivors of sexual abuse to come forward, even if it’s been years since the offence took place
‘Just as I was when I was aged four, I am still fighting, still standing up for myself and I want to stand up for other survivors too.
‘I am pleased I have justice and that he’s been exposed for the animal he really is. I carried so much shame all those years but now the shame is all on him.
‘I would encourage any survivors to come forward, no matter how long it’s been. The process is not easy. However, it does help you heal and get closure.’
Kaylee continues to work with a survivor leaders group at Bradford Rape crisis centre.
