A mother-of-one has revealed how her trauma from being sexually abused by a neighbor when she was eight was compounded when he became a Metropolitan Police officer.
Shamed cop Alex Law, now 43, told Katy Burns, now 36, he would kill her little brother if she told anyone about his abuse.
Terrified of the possible repercussions, Katy never told anyone.
But years later, Law sent her a message on Facebook, informing her that he had joined the police force and Katy knew she couldn’t get away with it anymore.
In April, more than 20 years after his attack, Law was sentenced to two and a half years in prison after admitting two counts of indecent assault.
Katy Burns, 36, was sexually assaulted by Alex Law when she was eight years old
Shamed cop Alex Law, 43, threatened to kill Katy’s brother if he told anyone about the abuse. Above: Law in the mugshot of him, issued by Northumbria Police.
Now Katy, from Northumberland, has bravely waived her right to anonymity to help encourage other survivors to report their abusers.
The aromatherapist said: ‘Alex’s abuse has ruined my life.
‘When I found out he was a police officer working with vulnerable people, I felt bad. I knew he needed to speak up and get him off the streets.
‘I hope that by sharing my story, other survivors will do the same. I want them to know that people will listen and that they care.’
When Katy was seven, she moved down the street from Law, who was 14 at the time.
Katy, along with her little brother, played with Law and other neighborhood children.
Katy said: ‘Alex was an observer. He was always pretty quiet.
When she was eight, she and her brother went cycling to the local forest with Law, who was almost 16 at the time.
But the path in the forest was covered with nettles.
Katy explained: ‘Alex offered to give me a piggyback ride because I was wearing shorts.
‘When I turned on my back, he put his hands down my shorts before penetrating me with his finger.
“I yelled at him to stop, but he threatened to let me fall into the nettles.”
Katy appears here at age seven, when she met Law, who was a teenager.
Katy said she felt “dirty” growing up and was “constantly angry” with herself.
Law continued walking with Katy on his back, while his brother had already run away.
When they reached the clearing, Law put Katy down before sexually assaulting her once again.
Katy says: ‘My brother made a noise, so Alex quickly stopped.
“He said, ‘I’ll kill your brother if you tell anyone.'”
Scared of what might happen if she spoke, Katy stayed quiet but knew what Law had done was wrong.
After that, Katy distanced herself from him and became friends with other people in town.
“Growing up, I felt dirty and was constantly angry with myself,” she said.
“I thought if I had to keep such a big secret, I must have done something wrong.”
The Facebook messages between Law and Katy, where he confessed to his crimes
Years passed and when Katy was 16, she ran into Law in the pub. He tried to talk to her, but she ignored him.
Days later, Law visited her house and knocked on the door.
Katy said: ‘I refused to go down to see him and had a panic attack.
“He sat downstairs chatting with my mother for 10 minutes before leaving.”
After that, she didn’t hear from him again, until a couple of years later, when he messaged her on Facebook.
Katy said: ‘He told me he had joined the Metropolitan Police and sent me a photo of him in his uniform and in the back of a police van holding a gun.
“My mind immediately went back to his threat: ‘I will kill your brother if you ever tell anyone.'”
‘So,’ I replied, pretending I was happy for him. But deep down he was furious.
“I couldn’t understand how he was allowed to act like a respectable officer, while I suffered.”
For years, Law continued to message Katy, telling her about his life and his growing family.
She said: ‘He was tormenting me. I couldn’t escape him.
“I was desperate to report it, but I was worried that no one would believe me over a police officer.”
But in April 2022, Katy got him to confess to his crimes on Facebook Messenger.
Katy said she was “desperate” to report Law, but worried no one would believe her “over a police officer.”
Katy said bringing Law to justice was “the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.”
“He told me he was sorry and that he had always felt guilty for what he did to me,” she said.
“I took a screenshot of his messages and thought, ‘I got this.'”
In December of that year, Katy submitted an online form to Northumbria Police, detailing the abuse she had suffered.
The next day, she was invited to the police station, where she gave her statement to an officer.
Katy then completed a video interview with Detective Constable, Phil Trotter, who led the investigation.
Katy said: “I was terrified but both officers made me feel safe and believed.”
Law was later questioned, but he denied everything.
In November 2023 he was suspended from the Metropolitan Police.
At a hearing in March this year, Law admitted two counts of indecent assault on a female under 14.
The following month, he was sentenced to two and a half years in prison at Newcastle Crown Court.
Following his conviction, Law was dismissed from the Metropolitan Police.
Katy said: ‘His sentence is nothing like what he put me through.
“Bringing him to justice was the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life.
“But at least now everyone knows who he really is.”
