A Stevenage author has re-released her book - which documents her mother's murder in the town - with an additional chapter addressing further charges against her mum's killer, and finding closure.
Amanda Wright released 'Without a Mother's Love' in 2016, 36 years on from her mother's death.
In 1980, John Dickinson attacked Susan Lowson in front of four-year-old Amanda in their home in Colestrete.
He was convicted of murder and arson and sentenced to life imprisonment - and released in 2014.
Following the release of Amanda's book, other victims of John Dickinson reached out to her, and together they discussed reporting abuse inflicted on them by the killer when they were children.
Subsequently, Dickinson was convicted in 2020 for eight offences of sexual abuse committed in Stevenage between 1973 and 1977.
He was sentenced to 17 years in prison.
The added new chapter goes into more detail about what happened after the book was released regarding the revelation of the child abuse and how friendships blossomed from all the despair and tribulations of the past.
Amanda told the Comet: "We discussed the issue of reporting him to the police as he shouldn’t get away with these horrific, disgusting crimes.
"He had destroyed our childhoods and we lived with a lot of guilt and fear growing up and all at the hands of one evil man.
"We were elated that he got punished for his crimes and that he couldn’t hurt anyone else.
"It gave me perspective and insight into what they had been through - they felt a lot of the feelings I had. Ashamed, guilty - it makes you think you've done something wrong.
"We're the survivors, not the criminals. We did support each other."
Without a Mother's Love was re-released with the additional chapter by Lume Books on June 9.
Author and mum-of-two Amanda added: "It took a lot for me to come out with the story in the first place - I've been quite secretive all through my childhood and into adulthood.
"If people had been through something similar, I was hoping they would read it and it would help them."
Without a Mother's Love is available to buy for both Kindle and in paperback on Amazon.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here