A brave sex abuse survivor who helped snare a notorious Edinburgh paedophile ring has died.
Dana Fowley, who was just five years old when she first suffered abuse at the hands of her evil mum and other members of a sick sex assault gang, died on October 13 after complications with type 2 diabetes and Gastroparesis.
The 44-year-old, from Edinburgh, bravely waived her anonymity and fought to take down her abusers in a draining life-long battle that saw her mother, Caroline Dunsmore, handed a 12-year prison term in 2007 along with several others.
The mum of three became a fierce activist against abuse, writing two successful books and taking the stand to put several disgusting abusers in jail.
Her partner, Paul Reynolds, spoke of his late wife’s bravery and the toll her horrific past took on her life as he told how Dana’s last days were spent making treasured memories with her daughter Brooke, 10.
The 56-year-old told the Record: “Dana faced everything straight on and was the bravest person going. She stayed that way until her last breaths.
“She did so much in her lifetime to help people. It meant everything to her to bring those people down and ensure they couldn’t hurt anyone else.”
The grieving dad continued: “Dana could never have led a normal life because of her past.
“When you take a child’s innocence, they can never get it back but she went on to have three beautiful children, a happy marriage and a best-selling book, despite the fact that she could never stop fighting her battles or leave her past behind.
“But now it is the end of Dana and it is the end of her fight. Me and our only daughter Brooke just have to get on with life.
“That is what Dana would’ve wanted.”
Paul added that while Dana was only given three months to live earlier this year, she managed to survive for four and a half.
The family used the time to build special memories and took holidays in their VW campervan.
Dana was raped almost daily from the age of five by her mum and late stepdad, Billy King, along with a group of accomplices.
William King was jailed for five years in 2016 and again in 2022 for another six years for his historical crimes at the High Court in Glasgow.
Morris Petch and John O’Flaherty were jailed in 2007 for their part in the abuse.
Her grandfather, William Dunsmore, was released from prison in 2009 after serving three-and-a-half years of a five-year sentence.
Speaking to the Record in 2015, Dana said: “My sentence doesn’t end until I die. I will always remember it.
“They ruined my whole life.”
Dana also claimed she knew the identities of at least 10 men who have raped her who are still roaming the streets. She vowed to fight for justice until her “dying breath”.
The brave mum released her book How Could She? about her traumatic childhood in 2008. It became a UK bestseller and, after its success, was released in an international edition two years later.
The first-person novel follows the court case where her mum was jailed for the disgusting cruelty she faced growing up and bravely opened up about her fight for justice following the horrific abuse.
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