Thank you Deidre, for saving me from an evil man who tried to groom me for sex

I’m now 16 but started going to a weekend drama group when I was 14.

It was run by a neighbour of my parents.

She employed a singing coach who was a married man of 35.

He asked for my phone number one night so he could text me a soundtrack — he said.

The text then turned into chat and, within a few days, he was talking to me in a sexual way.

I’d never had anyone talk to me that way before. He had a way of encouraging me to do things I’d never done before.

I started sending him pictures of myself in my underwear then, as I got more confident, naked shots.

But I later read on your page about a girl who had been groomed, so I asked for your help.

You told me I shouldn’t send any picture I wouldn’t show my parents, and I realised what this man was doing was wrong.

I blocked him and found the courage to talk to Mum about it. He’s been reported to the police.

Without your help, I don’t think I’d have understood what he was doing. You gave me the courage to speak out.

DEIDRE SAYS: I am so glad you did speak out. This man preyed on you as a vulnerable teen. You being brave will have stopped him doing the same to somebody else.

If a young person feels uncomfortable about anything they are asked to do, they have a right to say no.

Childline (childline.org.uk, 0800 1111) helped you and can help other young readers, too, whatever their worry. The phone number is free – and it won’t show up on bills.

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