South Yorkshire mum who gave birth to rapist's baby uses Mother's Day to promote new charity helping women and children

Sammy Woodhouse was 15 years old when her son was conceived as a result of rape.

A survivor of the Rotherham child sexual exploitation scandal, Sammy, who still lives in the town, was groomed, raped, threatened and attacked for years.

The 35-year-old, who is now a mum-of-two, conceived her eldest child at the age of 15 and later blew the lid on the child sexual exploitation scandal in her home town when she went public with the years of abuse she had suffered and lack of action taken against those involved.

Her revelations led to a major investigation and the revelation that at least 1,400 children were sexually abused by gangs of men of predominantly Pakistani heritage between 1997 and 2013 while those in authority failed to act.

Sammy’s rapist, Arshid Hussain, was jailed for 35 years in 2016.

A champion for survivors of abuse, Sammy is a trustee of the new charity MOCRA (Mothers of Children Conceived in Rape and Abuse).

The charity was set up to provide support and advice to women and girls who become pregnant from rape, sexual abuse, exploitation, trafficking and incest. It also aims to provide services for their children

Promoting the new charity on Mother’s Day, Sammy said: “I, like many others, kept my child and had to have the conversation when he was 12 that the man he knew as his father had in fact raped me.

“There was no support for me or my son, and this is something we will be pushing for.

"It is a bombshell for children to suddenly learn something like that and they and their mothers need support and advice.”

She said she never thought about not having her child.

“Although I was only a child myself, I always knew I wanted my son and would love him. It was never in doubt, but it is not always like that for everyone and some children who are adopted only find out how they were conceived if they ask for their files from social services, so it is important that support is available,” said Sammy.

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