Alfred's Story - aged 13

I have been in care since I was 2.

At 11, I started off being a runner, then selling weed, then crack. I didn’t go to school and was working 12hrs a day. I never touched crack, they were all scummy lowest of the low – crack ruins you.

The gang I worked for were fair. I was earning about £250 / £280 a day.  My mate got me into it, and though we had our different patches, we got to meet up together at the house.  I got called in and was told to go the garages; my friend was there.  He’d been adding to his own to make extra.  The boss got a huge wrench and smacked him across the face with it for cheating him.  His face exploded and blood went everywhere and told me that was a warning if I ever felt like doing the same thing.  He told me to go back to work and I did.

A week later, I was mugged by 3 men, they took my crack and my money.  I phoned my boss to let him know and he called me in to the house.  I was relieved as it meant that I wouldn’t be getting a beating.  He said that he understood I wasn’t trying to play him, but that I should have been more careful and that I needed to learn my lesson.

He sent me into a room and then 6 blokes took it in turns to have sex with me.  After that, I was told that I was no good as a seller and that this would be my new job.  And it was for about 6 weeks.  The first chance I got, I ran like hell to the social and handed myself in.

I’m 15 now.