A Keighley woman who was abused as a child 24 years ago has failed in her attempt to gain compensation.

Tina Guest, now of Spring Bank Rise, suffered burns after a man who knew her mother held her hand in a fire.

The man was sentenced to six months in prison in 1976 for ill-treating and neglecting Tina and her sister.

A social worker's report revealed allegations the man had hit the girls, tied them up and ducked them in the bath.

The girls were taken into care and lived for several years in foster and children's homes.

A younger sister was taken into care as soon as she was born.

Mother-of-three Tina, now 28, last year decided to pursue a claim with the Criminal Injuries Comp-ensation Authority for the abuse.

She was told that compensation is not available for incidents before 1979 where the attacker lived in the same household as the victim.

Tina's solicitor felt this was unfair because as a four-year-old she had no control over who lived in the house at the time.

Tina says she applied for compensation as part of her campaign to gain justice.

"I've seen counsellors and I've been told I've a right to be angry.

"It's unfair. I'm not the one who committed a crime yet I've had to suffer. I'd like to put him back in court.

"Six months wasn't enough. He threw me in a coal fire.

"I could never put behind me what he's done because I'm scarred for life.

"I missed out a lot of my childhood because I was in foster care and homes. I had a sister taken away from me, yet he's got his own children."

Tina did not start her campaign until last year because she did not want to rake up old traumas while her grandmother was still alive.

Tina adds: "What started it was the fact she blew the whistle. Now she's died I feel I'm strong enough to fight."

The Criminal Injuries Comp-ensation Authority was unavailable for comment this week.

In a letter to her solicitors the CICB says they regret to inform her that no compensation can be made under a paragraph of the scheme.

"It expressly excludes the payment of compensation where the criminal injury was received before October 1, 1979 and the victim and assailant were living together at the time as members of the same family," it read.

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