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Tina Duggan has spoken publicly for the first time about the prolonged abuse she endured starting at age 15, highlighting significant failings by the police that allowed her abuser to avoid justice for over three decades. Despite repeatedly seeking help during and after the years of suffering inflicted by Frederick Allchorne, Tina says her claims were insufficiently investigated. It was not until 2023 that Allchorne was convicted and sentenced to 22 years in prison after admitting to multiple offences including rape, administering drugs with intent, indecent assault, and bigamy.
Their troubling history began when Tina met Allchorne, who was ten years her senior, in 1984. At just 15, she was living in a shared house in Sutton, south London, with Allchorne and his brothers, where she claims she was held captive and abused for six years. Unaware of Allchorne’s existing marriage, Tina was through a marriage ceremony with him while still underage. During this time, she had two children, becoming extremely vulnerable amidst the abuse. Tina recalls being drugged frequently, describing how after consuming food or drink, she would suddenly lose consciousness. A particularly alarming incident occurred when she was 17 and taken to A&E after nearly choking on her tongue, believed to be due to the administered drugs. However, despite hospital intervention and medical staff questioning her about drug use, she was returned to the abuser’s care, a decision she has never understood.
Throughout this period, Tina says other men frequently entered the house, with one of Allchorne’s deceased brothers allegedly also raping her while she was incapacitated. Attempts to escape were unsuccessful, and she found no support from her family or local healthcare providers, including being refused help by her GP. In 1991, after finally reaching a women’s refuge with her children, Tina formally reported Allchorne to Sutton police. Despite providing her statement, hospital records, and indecent photographs, police dismissed the case citing insufficient evidence and closed the investigation within two weeks. Tina says she remained silent about the abuse for many years after this. The case only came back into focus in 2009 when the Crown Prosecution Service requested her to provide a character statement concerning Allchorne’s conviction for sexually assaulting three children, yet the Metropolitan Police still refused to reopen her case. It was not until a severe panic attack led to hospitalization in 2018 that Tina began to disclose her story more openly.
Represented by Iftikhar Manzoor of Hudgell Solicitors in a civil claim against the Metropolitan Police, Tina challenged the force over its mishandling of her abuse allegations. Manzoor pointed to a stark difference in the police’s approach to vulnerable women in the 1990s, expressing disbelief that Tina had been repeatedly ignored despite seeking help. The legal action, based on negligence and violations of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights—which prohibits inhuman and degrading treatment—sought accountability as well as compensation. Though legal limitations complicated the case, the Metropolitan Police agreed to negotiate a settlement. The police acknowledged meeting Tina and conceded that more should have been done to protect her at the time, settling the claim without admitting liability. An internal review found no misconduct among the officers involved during the handling of her reports between 1991 and 2018 but recognized that “learnings” had been made, noting reforms in how rape and sexual offence allegations are now investigated. The force also highlighted that arrests and charges for rape in London have more than doubled in recent years.
Despite everything she has endured, Tina remains determined to encourage others to speak out, regardless of how much time has passed since their abuse. She wants survivors to know that it is never too late to seek justice. “The perpetrator got punished for what he did, for all the years that he damaged me. So it’s never, ever too late. People have got to do the right thing. It’s hard but they’re not alone,” she said. “I do think people like myself speaking out loud is important. If I can help one person, then it’s all been worth it.”
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