I’ve spent years going over and over my relationship with Mihai in my head, questioning myself, and torturing myself with what ifs. What if I’d never befriended him in the first place? What if I’d refused a lift home that night? What if I’d been strong enough to go to the police sooner? But no amount of questioning every part of our relationship changes what he is and what he did to me.
I first met Mihai in August 2017, when he started working at the care home where I was a care coordinator. He was 30 – 10 years my senior but he was so friendly and made an effort to get to know me, always making conversation in the staff room. I still lived at home with my mum, Karen, then 46, and was quite shy with not very much confidence. Over the years, I’d struggled with depression, I didn’t have many friends and had
