A Birmingham man has shown immense courage by publicly naming himself as a victim of a convicted child sex offender, stating he wants his abuser's face to be seen by all.
A Life Derailed by Abuse
Marcus Carlton was only 16 years old when he was first abused by William Douglas in 1989. Now 52, Mr Carlton has spoken exclusively about the profound impact the trauma had on his life, leading him to drop out of college, struggle with employment, and turn to alcohol to numb his pain.
Douglas, 58, was jailed this month for a total of 14 years for sexually abusing Mr Carlton and another boy during the mid-to-late 1980s. The court heard that Douglas had also trafficked and prostituted the second victim, who remains anonymous.
The Chilling Encounters
Mr Carlton's ordeal began during his last year of secondary school. He first noticed Douglas on a bus while with friends. After finishing school for the year, he encountered the man again on Union Street in Birmingham city centre.
"He approached me and asked me where I lived," Mr Carlton recalled. "When I told him he said, 'that's just around the corner from me', and asked if I wanted to go back to his on South Road in Hockley for a drink."
Describing himself as "a bit lost" at the time, Mr Carlton went to the sparsely furnished flat. "There was almost nothing in the flat - just a tatty old sofa, no TV, a broken old bed, no pictures on the wall. That's when [the sexual abuse] started."
The abuse occurred on two occasions. The second and final time began when Douglas pulled up in a car beside Mr Carlton as he waited at a bus stop by Hockley Flyover. "Because he was an intimidating and large man, I didn't want to say no," he said.
Douglas took him to a different flat on Heathfield Road in Handsworth. "It wasn't consensual. I was so scared. When he went to the bathroom I left and never went back," Mr Carlton stated.
Seeking Justice and Closure
Mr Carlton never told his now-deceased parents about the abuse, fearing blame from his "strict" family. The aftermath saw his life spiral downwards. "I struggled a lot afterwards... I was blaming myself for getting into that situation. I was a bright kid, who came from a good home. I couldn't believe I'd let myself get into that situation."
His mental health deteriorated, and he found it difficult to maintain employment. The turning point came two years ago when he saw Douglas's face on a police appeal on his computer screen. He immediately contacted West Midlands Police.
"I saw police were appealing for information and looking for him in relation to sex offences," he explained. "So I got in touch with police, who were brilliant with me, to try and help the other victim as no-one had ever reached out to me about my experience."
In June, Douglas was convicted of multiple historic sex offences, including four counts of indecent assault on a male person and two of indecency with a child.
Mr Carlton, who has waived his legal right to lifelong anonymity as a victim of a sexual offence, said he is "glad" to see Douglas locked up. He is speaking out now in the hope that it will encourage other victims to come forward.
"I'm speaking out about it now because I want his face everywhere. Maybe it might lead to more people coming forward?" he said. "The process with the court has been a bit of a grieving process for me. I grieved for the person I was before it happened as after that, everything changed. And that's all down to him."
