Three women who say they were abused as children in the Jehovah's Witnesses tell their awful stories

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Even then, Sian says child sex abuse within the ranks was "prevalent".

"I've seen it happen in our hall and all the cover ups that have gone on," she continues. "I just don't understand. I was 16, the police should have been called but it wasn't even mentioned and I never even thought about it. I just did what I was told."

At 17, Sian told her mum she didn't want anything more to do with the religion. "That was the crunch point and she turned on me pretty quickly," said Sian with hardly a flicker of emotion. "Now, I don't speak to my mother or my biological sister."

She left the family home, briefly returned after going through a "horrendously abusive" relationship and then met the man who she would eventually marry. It was while living with him that she was disfellowshipped- a public naming and shaming which effectively ostracises people from the community.

"It was because we were living together but we weren't married," Sian explained. "But at the time, I didn't care. I wanted out. My husband made me feel safe. We went to Cardiff."