GROWING up, Nia Green doted on her stepdad Michael Elve.
The former soldier, 46, got together with her mum when she was three, after her parents divorced.
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But three years later, Nia’s happy childhood was shattered when Elve began preying on her while her mum Emma, 40, was asleep.
The vile sexual abuse continued until Nia was 15, and only stopped when Elve and her mum split up.
With Elve no longer around, Nia found the courage to speak out about her ordeal, and reported him to the police.
The monster was finally jailed in September 2021 for 11 years after being found guilty of 11 charges of abuse at Teesside Crown Court.
Now Nia has bravely waived her anonymity to help raise awareness of childhood sexual abuse.
The animal management college student says: “Michael was like a father figure to me, but he betrayed me in the worst way.
“I want to help others who are experiencing abuse to find the courage to speak up. They are not alone.”
Nia told how Elve was the perfect dad in the beginning, taking her and her older brother fishing during the school holidays while her mum worked long hours as a waitress.
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She recalls: “Soon I called him ‘Dad’.”
But when Nia turned six, everything changed.
One Saturday, Elve took her to McDonald’s for lunch.
Sick favour
“As I tucked into my fries and nuggets in the car, Michael said he’d buy me an extra milkshake if I did him a favour later that day,” she says.
“I agreed and he bought me one.”
Back at home, while her mum and brother were out, Elve and Nia watched TV together.
Suddenly, Elve sidled up to her.
Nia says: “Michael asked me if I remembered the favour I’d promised earlier.
“I nodded. Moments later he started moving his hand up my thigh.
Most nights he’d wait until my mum had gone to bed and he’d pounce. I hated it
Nia Green
“Then he slid his hand into my knickers and starting rubbing my privates.
“I didn’t understand what was happening. I thought it was normal behaviour for dads to do.”
Afterwards Elve made Nia promise not to tell anyone. Confused, she agreed.
After that, whenever the two were alone, Elve would grope her.
Nia dreaded the evenings. She says: “Most nights he’d wait until my mum had gone to bed and he’d pounce. I hated it.”
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Sex toy hell
Over the years the abuse continued. When Nia reached 12, Elve made her watch a porn film.
She says: “He ordered me to come and sit next to him.
“Reluctantly, I sat at the edge of the sofa. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw him pull something from behind his back.
‘He told me it was a back massager. I now know it was a vibrator.
“He said he’d give me a massage. I told him no and started to cry.”
But Elve ignored her pleas and ordered her to undress, sexually abusing her with the toy.
Nia says: “It was so painful, I wanted to cry.
“Michael said it was supposed to make me feel good. He was evil, I hated him.”
Bought her silence
Often, after abusing Nia, Elve would take her shopping to buy her silence, buying her new clothes or handing her cash.
By this point she was too scared to tell anyone about the abuse.
In 2018, when Nia was 14, she wanted to fake tan, so Elve bought her some lotion.
She says: “Back at home, he asked if he could put it on me. Reluctantly I agreed, but insisted he only put it on my arms and legs.
“But after stripping down to my underwear, he made me get naked and sexually assaulted me while he applied it over my body.”
Michael said it was supposed to make me feel good. He was evil, I hated him
Nia Green
Thankfully the following year, when Nia was 15, her mum and Elve broke up, and soon after they moved out.
Nia says: “I was relieved. I was finally free from Michael’s abuse and tried to move forward with my life.
“But the memories kept surfacing and I couldn’t face keeping it a secret anymore.”
Mum’s horror
The week before her 16th birthday, Nia decided to tell her mum.
She says: “I couldn’t bring myself to tell her to her face. Instead, I wrote her a letter.
“In it, I included everything he’d done throughout the years.
“I walked downstairs into the living room and handed the note to Mum.
“As she read it, her face dropped. She felt so guilty and wouldn’t stop apologising.
“It wasn’t her fault. Michael was the master of manipulation.”
I couldn’t bring myself to tell Mum to her face. Instead I wrote her a letter… as she read it her face dropped
The next day, with her mum’s support, Nia reported Elve to the police.
He was arrested, but denied the charges.
A month later, in November 2020, he pleaded not guilty at court and Nia was forced to give evidence.
She says: “I couldn’t face seeing him so I stood behind a screen, recounting the horror he’d put me through for all those years.
“When it was his turn on the stand, he lied and said I’d made it all up. He disgusted me.”
Thankfully, the jury didn’t believe a word Elve said.
Robbed of her childhood
In her victim impact statement, Nia told how Elve “robbed her childhood from her and blighted her entire life”.
She said Elve “took her dignity from her and subjected her to experiences that a young girl should never experience”, leaving her fearing for her life “a lot of the time” and too frightened to tell anyone “for fear of the consequences”.
Nia said she still feels “worthless” and tortured by Elve, and suffers frequent flashbacks.
In July 2021, Michael Elve, of Jedburgh Drive, Darlington, County Durham, was was found guilty on 11 charges of sexual abuse.
He was sentenced to 11 years in prison at Teesside Crown Court.
Nia says: “It wasn’t enough for him stealing my childhood. He put me through years of hell. No amount of jail time will make up for that.
It wasn’t enough for him stealing my childhood. He put me through years of hell. No amount of jail time will make up for that
Nia Green
“Please, if you’re being abused, tell someone you trust. It’s a long hard process, but the sense of relief afterwards is the best closure you’ll get.”
Detective Constable Nicola Pattinson, from Durham Constabulary’s safeguarding team, said: “For 10 years, Elve inflicted unimaginable suffering on a young girl for his own gratification, showing no regard for her wellbeing or consideration for the enduring psychological trauma he has caused.
“She has shown immense courage in coming forward and facing her abuser, who forced her to relive her ordeal through a crown court trial.
“Elve is a dangerous individual and I am pleased he has been brought to justice and is now behind bars.
“Anyone who is suffering sexual abuse, please know that you are not alone.”
WHERE TO GET HELP
Whenever it happened to you, it’s never too late to get support.
If you’ve ever experienced sexual violenceor sexual abuse, you can get confidential support from specialists who will listen to you, believe you and understand how hard it is to talk about.
As a victim, you’re entitled to support whether you report the crime or not. Your rights are set out in full in the Victims’ Code.
Visit gov.uk/sexualabusesupport to see the support on offer.
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