'I was blackmailed into performing sex acts blindfolded for years - then I discovered it was my dad'

Warning: Sensitive content. Charlene Masterson, 32, was harrowingly blackmailed and sexually abused by a 'stranger' successful her household location for 7 years - past discovered it was her begetter each along

A pistillate discovered her abuser was really her ain begetter aft 7 years of repeated intersexual assault.

Charlene Masterson, 32, is the brave subsister of a blackmail crippled and campaign of intersexual abuse astatine the hands of her dad, David Masterson, 56. Charlene, who has courageously waived her close to anonymity, was 18 years aged erstwhile she received an anonymous substance connection from a alien who claimed to person damaging accusation astir her.

They threatened to leak the worldly to her dada and get him fired from his occupation if she did not execute enactment acts. When Charlene approached David with the worrying information, helium encouraged her to bash it, implicit 'fear' of getting the sack. She was blindfolded and forced to perceive to euphony portion her dada fto a unsafe 'stranger' into their household home.

In July 2021, Masterson, from Dublin, Ireland, was jailed for 17 years aft pleading blameworthy to six counts of rape, intersexual battle and incest carried retired betwixt March 2007 and June 2014. Charlene - who says she is simply a subsister and not a unfortunate - has since campaigned to promote others who person suffered rape and intersexual maltreatment to not enactment silent.

Speaking connected The Indo Daily podcast this week, Charlene told of however it each started. She said: "I randomly got messages from a number. I didn't cognize the number, and it read, 'I cognize what you did', and anyone that knows maine knows I hatred being successful trouble, truthful I instantly panicked."

The blackmailer threatened to person David fired from his relation astatine an hose astatine Dublin airdrome if she didn't conscionable his demands and execute enactment acts connected men. She explained: "The 1 idiosyncratic you spell to for assistance is your dad, and I did, and his effect was, 'You're going to person to'. It wasn't the absorption I was expecting.

"It was him, truthful helium knew I didn't bash anything, I don't adjacent cognize however helium concocted this full thing, helium knew precisely what I had done, which was nothing." It was arranged that Charlene would beryllium blindfolded with earphones playing portion her begetter fto a idiosyncratic into their location to sexually maltreatment her.

"I retrieve it vividly, sitting determination successful immoderate helium had demanded I deterioration that nighttime and helium would beryllium looking retired the model going, 'Oh helium is coming crossed the field'," she said. David would past unreal helium was the alien and unit her to springiness him oral sex. He would ever deterioration condoms astatine the insistence of Charlene.

After the attacks, helium would "play the hero" and beryllium a "doting father" again. Charlene would person to portion the furniture and cleanable up aft the abuse, and she would ablution and scrub to effort and cleanse herself. The maltreatment escalated to Charlene having to prosecute sexually with 2 different men portion blindfolded.

Charlene yet discovered that her begetter was her abuser erstwhile she was helping her grandma instal a programme connected her laptop, and recovered a DVD with a signaling of 2 of the maltreatment incidents. She said: "I didn't ticker past the archetypal 10 seconds. When helium came home, I was inactive getting messages from the alien and I replied, 'I cognize you are my dad'."

Charlene recalled however her begetter "screamed" and denied immoderate involvement, but the blackmail messages instantly stopped. Then the intersexual battle turned into "open abuse" astatine home, wherever David would physically grope and rape her. When Charlene was 25, she was yet capable to unfastened up to a friend, who was a trainee societal worker.

The person past told Charlene's parent astir the years of abuse, and she kicked David retired of their home. He has since had nary interaction with either of them, speech from seeing Charlene successful tribunal and astatine his mother's funeral. The Central Criminal Court heard that Masterson went connected to defile 3 girls, having intersexual encounters with 2 teenagers and a intersexual narration with a third.

When David was sentenced successful court, his barrister said determination was "no remorse" for his actions. Charlene said: "It was gut-wrenching, you'd deliberation that helium [would] beryllium a small spot sorry. I americium ne'er going to get an apology. No remorse, but helium has to unrecorded with that." David confirmed determination were different men involved, but lone told constabulary helium knew 1 of their names.

In her unfortunate connection successful court, Charlene said determination was inactive a "massive stigma" successful Ireland astir rape, and aft 7 years of processing the abuse, she was yet connected the "other side". Speaking connected RTÉ vigor aft the case, Charlene said: "I consciousness it's an important story, and I cognize by waiving anonymity, I could assistance adjacent conscionable 1 idiosyncratic to talk out."

If you person been affected by this story, interaction Rape Crisis England & Wales for escaped confidential enactment and accusation connected 08088029999 oregon their website oregon 08088010302 if you're calling from Scotland. You tin interaction the Domestic and Sexual Abuse helpline connected 0808 802 1414 if you are successful Ireland.