A woman who says she was groomed as a teenager has spoken up about her ordeal in a new book.

Sunny Angel was stalked, groomed, victimised and raped by her predator in 1997 when she was only 17-years-old. The perpetrator was 40-years-old and was married with children.

Sunny said that although she reached out for help, she was failed by the authorities and shunned by her parents. She shares these experiences in her book 'Wings'.

“I made the media front page twenty years ago. The headline read ‘Girl influenced by Older Man.’

“The media called it ‘influenced’ and not grooming. 

“Asian girls can be groomed too. It was just harder to seek help.

“The authorities didn’t want to get involved with the ‘culture’ and my family didn’t want the ‘shame.’

Sunny was stalked for a whole year before her perpetrator approached her.

“He told me he knew who I was and where I lived. 

“He said he knows where my mum works and what car my dad drives. Then he told me the number plate.

“He said, "If you don't do as I say I'm going to burn your house down and throw acid on your mum's face. I’ll stab your dad and I’ll kill your brothers. These are the consequences.’

“I actually believed he was going to do this. He started calling me on my mobile and standing outside my house with a lighter flicking it on and off.

“That's when I started to panic.

“I didn't know who to tell. I couldn't tell my family.”

Forcibly coerced into meeting the man, Sunny was violently raped by him countless times. 

“He threatened to pass me onto others. He was on methadone. He had good days and bad days. 

“On his bad days, for example if his football team lost, he would burn me with cigarettes.”

Sunny said she would be locked away in a room for several days at a time. 

“Once he locked me in the boot of his car and drove all around Birmingham. He threatened to set the car on fire.

“He would ring my dad at work and tell him, I have your daughter and I’m going to rape her. There’s nothing you can do.’

“Even after that my parents blamed me for being rebellious and running off with a ’boyfriend.’

“The police did nothing. I told them he was threatening me but they did not want to get involved. When he was questioned, he said I was his wife and they believed him over me.

“I am covered in over a thousand scars. In 1997 I had over 60 open wounds on my back when I escaped the abuser. 

“Twenty years on, many of those scars from cigarette burns, whips and glass cuts still remain.”

Even after escaping from her groomer in December 1997, Sunny’s ordeal continued. 

Her parents sent her to India for three months. There she endured a vicious exorcism as her family thought the groomer, a British Pakistani man, had put a jinn inside her which justified to them her readiness to meet him.

“I was beaten by the religious man who performed the exorcism with metal and wooden sticks.

“After that my mum even put me in the Ganges to cleanse me of all my sins as well as trying other black magic.”

As a final resort to put the ‘shame’ behind them, Sunny’s family decided to get her married when returning to the UK from India.

“They were happy that a family from another city wanted their son to marry me which meant they would not hear about my previous torment.

“But this family had covered up the fact that their son had mental issues and that he couldn’t read or write.

“He was used as a pawn so his parents could get money through the dowry.

“They demanded a brand new Mercedes with a personalised number plate as well as £10,000 cash.

“When he would call me on the phone, it was actually someone else pretending to be him.

“The cards he sent me were actually written by his mum.

“During the wedding was the first time we spoke face to face and he asked me if I was going to be his wife. He had no idea what was going on.

“I was so scared of the wedding night, scared of being touched and afraid that he would ask questions about my scars.

“My mum said he would only see my face and not my back and that I should stop worrying.”

Sunny was exposed to further trauma on her wedding night. 

“My husband remained in a state of confusion.

“All he said was that his mum told him he had to consummate the marriage.

“When I told him I wanted to talk to him first, he forced himself on me.

“When he had finished he sat at the edge of the bed, rang his mum and asked, ‘Mum, I’ve done it, can I have the chocolate now?’

The marriage lasted only four months when Sunny returned home to her parents.

Sunny says her experiences have led to her having increasingly strained relations with her family. 

“I haven’t been to a family funeral or wedding in the last 20 years.

Sunny says she has suffered post-traumatic stress disorder for many years with the fear and anxiety being triggered if anyone even stood close to her in a queue in a shop. 

“I tried to commit suicide and it failed. That’s when it all changed for me.

“I am a survivor of many things- grooming, rape, forced marriage and honour abuse violence.

“I chose to write the book ‘Wings’ because I felt I was ready to share my experiences and I wanted to show others it’s okay to speak out and that they are not alone. 

“Writing my book was self-healing and it helped unlock my silence.  I cannot erase the past but I can change my future. 

“We can no longer hide behind the umbrella of honour (izatt.) Abuse is real. So many Asian girls are suffering in silence because of ‘izzat.’

“I have written this book to encourage and give hope to others.

“I don’t want my story to die with me. I want my story to help others. I know I’m not alone. All my abusers are still alive.

“But I don’t want to live a bitter life.

“I had to find inner peace to show my daughter that the world is still a magical place.

“I don’t want to be a victim. I’m a survivor.”

‘Wings’ is available on Amazon now.