On the evening of 10th December 2016, my 14-year-old daughter Hannah, lost her life. Despite the best efforts of my wife, myself, and the emergency responders that followed, she was not for saving.
My life would never be the same again; the events of that evening and those days, weeks, months, and years that followed would go on to affect the rest of all of my life and the lives of those closest to me.
Crashed and Burned is the true story of how I went from being a high-achieving pilot, having had successful military and civilian flying careers to suffering the worst tragedy and succumbing to complex PTSD. This in turn resulted in a self-destructive path which led to my arrest, conviction, the ending of my career in aviation, being disavowed by society and wrongly branded a paedophile by certain sectors of the British press.
The pages that follow will shock – they are meant to. The reader will find some of my writing very uncomfortable – this is my intention. My own falling from grace has highlighted (to me, anyway) the scourge of the internet and the harm it, in terms of social media and the huge number of child abuse images contained therein, can cause. It outlines a clear disconnect between stress-related trauma and the law. This book will also shine a light on child abuse images and grooming. These activities are on a global scale with millions of images being shared by millions of viewers. The proliferation is so profound that the authorities
acknowledge their own impotence in tackling the problem and in some cases, their negligence in doing so.
I have changed many names throughout the book. This is mainly to protect individuals and businesses from criticism because they have been involved with me.
To those family and friends who reached out and had my back throughout, I thank you truly deeply.
To those friends who turned their backs on me. Ask yourselves what you would have done? Maybe when you have read this book, you might be able to shake my hand once again. I haven't changed since the last time, and my door is open.
To those who were hostile. Perhaps when you have read this book, you might understand my motivations as a father and protector – even though my actions were ultimately law-breaking.
I'm not seeking forgiveness nor absolution. My aim is three-fold: to highlight the considerable risks that anyone can face in specific areas of the open internet, the considerable damage that PTSD can cause to a human being, and to redress the balance having faced the wrath of the press and public opinion - my side of the story.
I hope this is the most uncomfortable book you ever read.
Crashed and Burned - a fall from grace.
