"At 13, I Was Assaulted by My Cousin During What Should Have Been a Dream Vacation—It Sickens Me to Learn He Targeted My Friend, Too."

PACKING her bags for an exotic holiday with her family, 13-year-old Mia Sosseh was brimming with excitement.

But the dream trip to Gambia was the start of a three-year nightmare – after she was raped by her twisted cousin, Leon Sosseh.

Mia Sosseh was first sexually abused by her monster cousin Leon on a dream holiday to Gambia Credit: Supplied Mia as a young child with Leon Credit: Supplied

It would be years later when she confided in close friend Lauren Daley – and was horrified to find Sosseh had also subjected her to years of sexual abuse.

Now, after Sosseh was jailed for 24 years, brave Mia and Lauren, both 32, have waived their anonymity and spoken out about the horrific abuse in the hope of encouraging other victims to come forward.

Recalling the holiday when the abuse began Mia told The Sun: “My dad had paid for us all to go away together. It was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime.

“It was gorgeous sunshine and beaches. We were staying in a lovely hotel and my room was the only one with two doors — one leading to the hallway and another out to the pool.”

At the time, Mia says Sosseh — then 21 — was someone she trusted completely. Their dads were brothers and were so close that they were raised in the same house for most of Mia’s childhood.

She said: “Leon was more like a big brother to me.

“We’re cousins but we were raised together. We were also both very close to our nan.

“Leon used to call me his sister. There are pictures of him holding me when I was a little baby.”

But one afternoon in Gambia, everything changed.

She said: “I was in my room escaping the heat when Leon suddenly walked in through the outside door.

“I still remember the smirk on his face.

“He checked both doors and locked them.”

Mia said a feeling of panic immediately hit her, she said: “I suddenly felt really nervous but I still didn’t understand what he was going to do. My blood went cold.

“Then he came over, put his hand tightly over my mouth and raped me on the bed.

“When he finished, he warned me not to tell anyone and left. I lay there in shock, I couldn’t move. I felt so sick.”

After that first attack, the abuse escalated and continued for years.

After his first attack on Mia, Leon’s abuse escalated and continued for years Mia says Sosseh was someone she trusted completely and were raised in the same house for most of her childhood Credit: Suppleid

She revealed: “Once it started it just got worse and worse.

“When we got back to London it carried on and felt like it would never end.

“Because we were family, I was always around him. How do you get away from someone in your own family?”

Mia says Sosseh attacked her whenever he got the opportunity — even with relatives in the room next door.

She said: “There would be people in the house and he didn’t care.
“He didn’t care what room we were in.

“A lot of the time it happened in the bathroom because the door had a sliding lock. If I went for a shower he would block the door and come in.

“I couldn’t shout. Looking back now I wonder why I didn’t.

“But I think because he was family, because I trusted him, I just froze.”

The abuse finally stopped when Mia fell pregnant aged 16 and moved out to live with her grandmother.

The now mum-of-two added: “I thought, ‘This can’t continue.’

“I packed my bags and left.

“But the abuse has never left my head. You carry it forever.

“It’s hard to explain the damage it does to you.

“You just try to push through and raise your children and keep going.”

Lauren’s horrific ordeal began when her dad began dating Leon’s mum.

Lauren, now 32, said she still vividly remembers the first time Sosseh assaulted her when she was just 14.

Leon Sosseh was jailed for 24 years Leon also attacked Mia’s friend Lauren Daley, who suffered years of horrific abuse

Her dad Norman and Leon’s mum Wendy had moved in together after a whirlwind romance.

The children — all similar ages — initially got on well and Lauren quickly became friends with Mia when they were together at family get togethers.

But Lauren said everything changed the moment Sosseh grabbed her and groped her breasts in the living room when Wendy briefly left the room.

Within weeks, he raped her for the first time.

Recalling the horrifying attack, Lauren said: “I was 15 and it was New Year’s Eve.

“All the family were going out for a meal and I was meant to be going to a party with my friends.

“They cancelled on me at the last minute, so I stayed home.

“Then Leon said, ‘I’ll stay with Lauren.’

“I felt sick because I knew exactly what he was planning.

“He knew I was on my own. He raped me in the front room on the sofa in the dark.

“I remember fireworks going off.

“After he had finished, I ran out of the house. I went to stay with a friend for as long as I could but I couldn’t stay away forever.

“When I went back, I tried to make sure I was never alone with him, but it didn’t make a difference.”

Mia and Lauren are encouraging other victims to come forward Credit: Getty

As he did with Mia, Leon took any opportunity he could to carry out his sick attacks on Lauren. She added: “He thrived off secrecy and the thrill.

“He’d push me into our parents’ room and rape me against the door, holding it shut.

“I couldn’t scream. I didn’t have the ability. I’d just shut down and I can’t explain how mean he was.

“He’d punch you and hurt you. I would say, ‘Please, please, get off me.’

“But he’d overpower me. Everyone was scared of him. No one asked any questions. He assaulted me hundreds of times.”

Finally, Lauren managed to sever all ties with Sosseh after surviving three years of relentless abuse. Their parents split after three years and, aged 17, she got her own flat and refused to let Leon know the address.

That same year, she received a message from Mia saying she needed to confide in her about a secret she had told no one.

It was then over BlackBerry Messenger that Mia told Lauren about the abuse Sosseh had subjected her to — and that Lauren told her she had endured the same.

Mia says Sosseh attacked her whenever he got the opportunity — even with relatives in the room next door Credit: Supplied Mia, pictured, and Lauren feel relief that he can no longer abuse women but the pain has not gone away Credit: Supplied

Mia said: “When I told Lauren, I felt relieved to talk about it. But when she said it had happened to her as well, I didn’t feel shock.

“I just felt sad that she had been through it as well.”

Over the next ten years, the two women kept the abuse secret and confided only in each other. Mia said: “It wasn’t something we spoke about every time we saw each other.

“We didn’t want to relive it. It was always in our minds because it doesn’t really go away, but we tried to get on with our lives.”

In 2019, after watching the documentary , Lauren decided she needed to tell the .

She added: “After that came out and all the reports on social media about abusers often being the people closest to you, I couldn’t keep it quiet anymore. I dialled 111 and then I spent six hours being interviewed at my local station.

“Afterwards I told Mia I had made the report. I hadn’t mentioned her and I said it was up to her if she wanted to give a statement. A few months later she decided to report him as well.”

The “challenging” case took six years — and courier Sosseh, 40, was finally caged at Kingston Crown Court for 24 years in May last year for seven counts of rape, one count of sexual assault by penetration, two counts of sexual assault, and one count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity.

Both women feel relief that he can no longer abuse women and girls, but said the pain of what they endured has not gone away.

Mia said: “After he was sent to I didn’t feel any different. It still happened and it still impacts me every day. I can only hope that it means other women and children are safer now. And I hope that any other victims are encouraged to come forward.”

Detective Constable Nik Stilliard, who led the investigation, praised Mia and Lauren for their bravery. He said: “The two victims in this case were incredibly brave in coming forward to report Sosseh for his horrendous crimes.

“I don’t underestimate the strength and courage that took and am very grateful for their unwavering support throughout. Without them, we would not have been able to bring this dangerous individual to justice.

“Sosseh is a real threat to women and girls and we are pleased the court recognised the risk he posed when they handed him his lengthy sentence. He is now prevented from committing any further offences.

“This was a particularly challenging case given the non-recent nature of the offences, but we worked tirelessly to ensure he was held to account.

“It is very possible there are further victims of Sosseh who are yet to speak to police. We want to support all victim-survivors and would ask that anyone with concerns please come forward. We have specialist officers ready to help you.”

To speak to Met detectives or make a report, please call 101.