My name is Shaun and this is my story.

There are only two things I ask of the reader, please don’t like any chapter’s (I truly mean that and would appreciate if you didn't). This is nothing more than an exercise of my own to write this down and feel like I'm achieving something. The second thing is for anyone that has gone through any of what I’m about to tell you, please seek help, seek out a confidant and don’t keep it bottled up. Your only hurting yourself and the people around you that love you.

It feels like a lifetime ago, I've had so many better experiences and memories but I've recently been in a car accident and I’m now sat listening to lyrics sing “We’re born with millions of little lights shinning in our hearts and they die along the way, till we're old and cold, lying in the dark, for they’ll all burn out one day” and I’m left wondering how many I have left. I don’t remember what age I was, I think I was around 17 or 18, but it was definitely a light that went out.

I had nowhere to live and there was two options, live on the streets or where he was supposedly never, he was nice to his employees, too nice. He paid for their car insurance as long as they worked for him in his garage or on the forecourt. Additionally his employees lived in some of his flats in Edinburgh City centre at rock bottom prices. This was obviously the lure, I was going to be put through an apprenticeship, I was going to be working with one of my best mates and after what had been a turbulent couple of months, I had a light at the end of a tunnel, or so I thought.

Now I’m tossing and turning in the unbelievable heat of the house, eyes open and everyone else in the house asleep. Now at 00:58 on Monday 6th May 2019 and trying so desperately to sleep or cry I keep reliving that dark time and when I delve deeper into my own thoughts. I'm so thankful for the people in my life now, how ever little it is but back then, I was naive, young, stupid and I had no idea of the kind of predator he was.

This is going to be short, straight to the point and designed to help me to build up the courage to speak to my councillor but it will be graphic, it might make you feel sick but I hope it will also restore some faith in humanity because if it wasn't for a brave gentleman reaching over the Dean Bridge and hauling me back over onto safety - I wouldn't be able to share this story.