I've seen a lot of very brave tweets over the last 24 hours from women wrestlers & fans reporting sexual abuse in British wrestling. As a court reporter, I'm very familiar with the type of experiences being described, & the devastating & lasting trauma abusers inflict on victims

It takes a huge amount of courage to come forward and make such allegations. Despite what some people seem to think & comment online, there are numerous, perfectly understandable & to me entirely obvious reasons why a victim might not come forward at the time abuse is happening.

It could be due to threats & coercion; because of embarrassment; fear of being ostracised, humiliated, questioned; fear/distrust of the legal process; confused/conflicting emotions towards a perpetrator; concerns about consequences for others... This shouldn't need spelling out.

That is not an exhaustive list. We do not know people's individual circumstances & the extent of what they have been through. We should never victim shame, or criticise victims for "not speaking out sooner". We should instead applaud them for speaking out now.

I work in Liverpool, where Merseyside Police have a specialist rape & sexual offences team called Unity. A line its officers often quote when abusers have been convicted of non-recent sexual offences is very important: "Time should never be a barrier to obtaining justice."

If you feel able to report something that has happened to you, or have you have info about sexual abuse, you can call police on 101 and ask to speak to a specially trained officer. You can also pass information to Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Support for victims in this part of the north west is also available through the registered charity the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre Cheshire & Merseyside, who can be contacted on 01925 221 546 or 0330 363 0063, or Rape & Sexual Assault Merseyside (RASA) on 0151 558 1801.

There are many other agencies who offer a wide range of support & advice nationally - this is a helpful list with lots of information. I hope what has happened today in British wrestling shows other victims they do not have to suffer in silence. https://www.itv.com/thismorning/articles/sexual-harassment-helplines