The Letter

Co-written by the writer of Sunday Times bestsellers The Asylum, The Convent, Silent Sisters and Abandoned


Harrowing emotional story of horrific sexual abuse at the hands of a father

Sarah Sidebottom was repeatedly raped by both her father and her brother as a child has secured justice thanks to a forgotten letter.

Sarah Sidebottom, 54, was raped and sexually abused by her father, Arthur William Bowditch, and her brother, Arthur Stephen Bowditch. They were jailed in 2022 for a total of 32 years.


The first attack, when she was just three and a half years old, left Sarah needing surgery to repair internal damage. A decades-old letter from her doctor proved crucial in securing a conviction for the abuse, which began almost 50 years go.