To: Stuart Withers: A special thank you from Shy Keenan

27/12/03

Dear API

Where do I begin, my step father sold us as prostitutes practically from infancy, we were abused by almost every adult that came into our lives, including people like the social services. So, getting them stopped, was next to impossible.

They abused hundreds of children between them over the decades, life was horrible and full of other peoples lies and secrets. I got out of there when I was still a teenager and had spent many years hiding and just trying to recover, I only ever went back to get the others out. I had tried many times throughout the years to stop these people, all to no avail and at great personal cost.

My childhood was stolen and along with it, went my education, because of the abuse, my ability to learn was severely disabled, so life was tough, but I was surviving.

Years later and to my horror, news again reached me that ‘new very little children’ could again be in danger, I had told the right authorities about it but they again refused to act. I had made up my mind to come back and get them out.

If I was to stand any chance of stopping a powerful paedophile network that had been active and practically unchallenged for over 25 years, for good, I was going to have to change everything about my approach.

Due to my childhood, I have more learning difficulties and social disabilities than a box of hair, however, I needed an education and I didn’t have time to go to school or find a teacher with enough patience to teach me what I needed to know.

I needed to know about the law, about how to gather evidence, about how to find people, about how to find the truth behind the lie and so on. I needed to know how to investigate my own life, then, when I have all the evidence, I needed to know how to prepare and present it to the BBC Newsnight team who went on to make a BAFTA winning film with that same evidence.

That evidence sparked a chain of events which eventually led to my being awarded as Britain's Children's Champion, by Cherie Blair at No 10 this month.

It led to the rescue of at least three very young children and helped countless victims come forward, it caused Merseyside Police to set up the highly commended and successful ‘Operation Phoenix’, which in turn, led to two members of the network going to jail for life.

Many People have asked me, what was it, that I did, that tipped the balance, what did I do different? Well, although I never mustered up the courage to take the final test, I took an API Private Investigation ‘distance learning course’, which, over a very short period of time, taught me everything I needed to know to properly stop those monsters once and for all.

Stuart has a way of teaching, that makes it so easy to take the information on board, even for someone like me. I could do it at home, at my own pace and there was no gobbledygook to put me off, it was all very ‘Fisher Price’ even though, at times he was teaching me some quite complicated stuff.

This is why Stuart Withers is a Phoenix Hero, he doesn't know it, but he gave me the key that set us all free and we will never be able to thank him enough.

One day, I might find the courage to sit the API test for real, just so I can prove I can do it, however, I hope he is proud of what his teaching has already achieved, his knowledge has helped more people than he will ever know (and will continue to) and for that, he will always be our hero.

With warmest and most sincere best wishes and heartfelt thanks to you sir.

Shy Keenan

Britain's Children's Champion Award

Founder and spokesperson for Phoenix Survivors, Shy Keenan, has been chosen as the 2003 ‘Britain's Children's Champion’, an award set up by Barnardo's, The News of the World and the Marriott hotel chain, for working tirelessly for the welfare of children. Shy Keenan won the ‘Individual award’ and was also unanimously chosen as overall winner.

Shy contacted the Academy office soon after her visit to Number 10 to receive her award to say thank you to Stuart Withers, the founder of the Academy. Shy had taken the Academy distance learning course, and it had helped so much she wanted to thank Stuart.

Shy has made Stuart a Phoenix Survivors Hero. You will find Stuart's name on the heroes page of the Phoenix Survivors web site.