Sasha's Light - Legacy of murdered Blackpool teenager Sasha Marsden to help other victims of sexual assault

The sister of murdered teen Sasha Marsden has revealed her sibling received her first counselling appointment for an earlier rape the day after she was killed.

Now campaigners, led by Sasha's sister Katie Brett, have set their sights on helping other youngsters.

Last month the group behind Sasha's Law were celebrating after Parliament changed the law to allow victims of crime more time to challenge prison sentences. The campaign was named after 16-year-old Sasha Marsden who was murdered and raped by David Minto in 2013.

Now Katie wants to do more to help young victim's of rape and sexual assault in memory of Sasha.

We want to help others

She revealed Sasha was raped at just 14, two years before her murder, and had been driven out of school by bullying classmates. One even set up a Facebook page claiming Sasha had "deserved" to be sexually assaulted.

Katie said her sister had waited months for counselling and the family only received notice of her first appointment as they grieved her death in 2013. She said: "Our next step now that we have achieved Sasha's Law, is to help others who have sadly been in Sasha's shoes.

"In Sasha's memory, we want to set up Sasha's Light - keeping her light alive by guiding others through the darkness. Sasha was dealing with something that a grown adult would struggle to deal with but she also had the pressures of school. We all know how cruel kids can be. It went around the school and instead of support she was bullied."

The abuse from fellow pupils forced the teenager to leave school.

‘Never got back to normal’

Katie said: "She never really got back to normal after that. She never received counselling due to long waiting lists, in fact, the first appointment for Sasha's counselling arrived by post the day after her murder."

Although plans are in their early stages, Sasha's Light plans to help provide workshops in schools to educate youngsters about bullying and how it affects the victim. And to provide support with private tuition for children and teenagers who have been a victim of rape or sexual assault to "reduce the impact on their education".

They also plan to help with counselling for youngsters when other services have been exhausted. Minto was sentenced to life with a minimum of 35 years for the brutal rape and murder of Sasha, who was studying childcare.

‘Warped sense of moral superiority’

On the day of her murder, Sasha had been dropped off at the Grafton House Hotel in Blackpool where her killer worked as a caretaker, believing she was there for a job interview. Her body was later found in a South Shore alley. She had been stabbed 58 times and sexually assaulted.

Earlier this month, 53-year-old Duncan Heaton was convicted of attempting to murder Minto in Wakefield Prison - nicknamed Monster Mansion. Heaton was described as having a "warped sense of moral superiority" with a hatred of sex offenders.