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Beyond Fear: My Will to Survive
This powerful account of Stepahie Slater's kidnapping and subsequent incarceration is unique, for unlike the increasing number of women whose voices have been permanently silenced, Stephanie has survived to tell her story. With harrowing honesty, Stephanie at last speaks of her experience. In doing so, she speaks for all victims of sexual and murderous violence.
- GenresTrue Crime
244 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 27, 2024
it was pretty good for a book I read in Swedish.
January 15, 2025
An absolutely harrowing story of a kidnap and subsequent incarceration of the victim.
Stephanie Slater attended a viewing by a prospective client of a semi-detached house in Birmingham close by her office, something that she did on a regular basis and as such she had formed her own method of working out whether the client was definitely interested or as she called them was a time waster. On this occasion she quickly came to the conclusion that this client was in the latter category. But she did not known of his ulterior motive, which quite quickly became apparent.
After a few cursory remarks about the property he suddenly produced two weapons, 'a sort of home-made knife with a blade nine inches long' and 'a long flat chisel about 12 inches long'. He had changed from the seemingly mild-mannered person into waving the two dangerous looking weapons at her. A struggle followed in which Stephanie ended up with a nasty cup to her hand as she tried to protect herself.
Unfortunately he was too powerful for her to do so successfully and she eventually found herself trussed up and Stephanie realised there was no chance of escape. He bundled her into a car parked behind the property and, gagged and blindfolded she was driven away at speed. Even though traumatised, Stephanie tried to visualise the journey, registering noises and stops without knowing in the lest where they were.
Her nightmare had begun and when they reached what she felt was a workshop of some kind, she was thrust inside where a complicated arrangement of boxes without heat or light was awaiting her. She was raped before being incarcerated, obviously most uncomfortably in the largest of the boxes and left for the night. Thereafter she spent eight days in captivity, most of it in the awful prison that she had originally been put in.
She quickly realised the she had to keep on the right sound of her abductor who had demanded a ransom from her estate agent for her release. As such she tried, with great fortitude to maintain some sort of relationship with the man who had told her in answer to her question that she would not be killed. Stephanie was unsure whether to believe him or not, especially when he told her he had a partner in the crime who was much nastier than he was and would not hesitate to do her harm.
He fed her miserably while he went about his everyday business, that Stephanie could occasionally hear in a nearby room. The nights were endless and exceedingly cold, so much so that her captor at one point washed her feet in an attempt to warm her up.
He told her he had demanded money and that the estate agents had agreed to pay and that when it was paid he would release her. Even though she was doubtful of this being the outcome, she had to keep up a pretence of believing it. And eventually it came about and he drove her back to where she had originally come from and dropped her close to her home. Stephanie was so relieved to be home but, the trauma of the incident, had played havoc with her confidence and her bedroom was her one place of solace.
Meanwhile the police had been working on the case from the outset and the man who was labelled 'the most wanted man in Britain' was eventually apprehended. And then it transpired that he had been previously involved in the murder of a young woman some time previously, although he initially denied this. However, it was later proved that he was the perpetrator of that crime as well so he duly met his fate and was sentenced to life imprisonment.
And Stephanie had to set about rebuilding her life, and she relates how she did just that in detail in what is a chilling read.
Stephanie Slater attended a viewing by a prospective client of a semi-detached house in Birmingham close by her office, something that she did on a regular basis and as such she had formed her own method of working out whether the client was definitely interested or as she called them was a time waster. On this occasion she quickly came to the conclusion that this client was in the latter category. But she did not known of his ulterior motive, which quite quickly became apparent.
After a few cursory remarks about the property he suddenly produced two weapons, 'a sort of home-made knife with a blade nine inches long' and 'a long flat chisel about 12 inches long'. He had changed from the seemingly mild-mannered person into waving the two dangerous looking weapons at her. A struggle followed in which Stephanie ended up with a nasty cup to her hand as she tried to protect herself.
Unfortunately he was too powerful for her to do so successfully and she eventually found herself trussed up and Stephanie realised there was no chance of escape. He bundled her into a car parked behind the property and, gagged and blindfolded she was driven away at speed. Even though traumatised, Stephanie tried to visualise the journey, registering noises and stops without knowing in the lest where they were.
Her nightmare had begun and when they reached what she felt was a workshop of some kind, she was thrust inside where a complicated arrangement of boxes without heat or light was awaiting her. She was raped before being incarcerated, obviously most uncomfortably in the largest of the boxes and left for the night. Thereafter she spent eight days in captivity, most of it in the awful prison that she had originally been put in.
She quickly realised the she had to keep on the right sound of her abductor who had demanded a ransom from her estate agent for her release. As such she tried, with great fortitude to maintain some sort of relationship with the man who had told her in answer to her question that she would not be killed. Stephanie was unsure whether to believe him or not, especially when he told her he had a partner in the crime who was much nastier than he was and would not hesitate to do her harm.
He fed her miserably while he went about his everyday business, that Stephanie could occasionally hear in a nearby room. The nights were endless and exceedingly cold, so much so that her captor at one point washed her feet in an attempt to warm her up.
He told her he had demanded money and that the estate agents had agreed to pay and that when it was paid he would release her. Even though she was doubtful of this being the outcome, she had to keep up a pretence of believing it. And eventually it came about and he drove her back to where she had originally come from and dropped her close to her home. Stephanie was so relieved to be home but, the trauma of the incident, had played havoc with her confidence and her bedroom was her one place of solace.
Meanwhile the police had been working on the case from the outset and the man who was labelled 'the most wanted man in Britain' was eventually apprehended. And then it transpired that he had been previously involved in the murder of a young woman some time previously, although he initially denied this. However, it was later proved that he was the perpetrator of that crime as well so he duly met his fate and was sentenced to life imprisonment.
And Stephanie had to set about rebuilding her life, and she relates how she did just that in detail in what is a chilling read.
February 6, 2020
I remember my mum used to read passages of this to me when I was young ; not your average bedtime story , but there’s something about Slater’s story which has always stuck to both of us. When she passed a few years ago it caught me in a way I never expected; I need to re read this as an adult but truly what a brave incredible woman.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews