ENGLAND
BBC News Online
February 2, 2020
By Sandish Shoker
A man who spent his childhood locked in a cellar, only to then be abused when he was taken into care, has said it took years to get used to the real world.
Stephen Smith was beaten by his parents and kept hidden away until he was 13, when he found himself at the notorious mental health hospital Aston Hall in Derbyshire.
The 59-year-old musician and artist said this “strange childhood” led to him struggling to cope as he grew older.
The harrowing details have now been put into a book which he hopes will encourage more male victims to speak.
Mr Smith grew up in Sherwood, Nottingham, and from birth, was only allowed out of the cold, dark cellar for hospital trips for a fractured skull or broken bones inflicted by his father.
One day, after having his back split open by a spade, medical staff raised the alarm and he was rescued.
Mr Smith said he has never had answers on why his parents kept him hidden throughout his childhood.
“I never saw them after I was taken away and they died while I was in care,” he said.
“I couldn’t imagine my life being any worse and then next thing I found myself at Aston Hall. It’s like I was out of the fire and then thrown back in again.”
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