Former Newcastle United star Kieron Dyer has opened up about the horrific shocking sexual abuse he suffered from a family member.
The ex-England international has spoken about the shocking night he spent at his great uncle Kenny's house when he was a young teenager.
In an interview with the Mail on Sunday, Dyer said he woke up to find his great uncle's hand down his pants.
Speaking to Mail on Sunday, Dyer said: He kept asking me to let him finish what he was doing. It was like he was in a trance. He said he'd buy me loads of chocolate.
Advert
"He pulled my trousers all the way down to my ankles. I knew he was doing something terribly wrong but I was frozen. I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. I couldn't do anything.
"Then he bent his head down into my lap and started trying to perform oral sex on me. I was still terrified. You know when you have one of those nightmares when you can't scream? It was like that. Eventually, I managed to push him away. I pulled my trousers back up. 'Don't tell anyone', he said. 'This is our secret'."
Kenny died when Dyer was 21 - shortly after he made his debut for England.
Advert
Dyer, now 39, kept the incident secret for decades and only told his family about the incident last year.
He told the paper he is speaking out about what happened now in hopes it will encourage other young boys in a similar situation to speak out and get help.
"There is still a taboo about it and more boys keep it a secret, like I did," he told the paper. "I'm hoping that by me telling my story, maybe lads who are too young to relate to great players like Paul Stewart and David White might read about what happened to me and understand how important it is to get help."
Advert
If you need to speak to someone, the NSPCC's hotline is 0800 023 2642 or you can ring NAPAC, the National Association for People Abused in Childhood, on 0808 801 0331.
Source: The Daily Mail
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: SPORT, UK News, England