A cultish nightmare: David’s 12 years in hell with The Family

From the age of two, David Freeman was hidden with a group of children in a remote country house, described as a school that was actually a prison.

The cult, led by the charismatic and seriously loopy Anne Hamilton-Byrne, survived for 20 years.

David spent most of his adult life trying to forget - moving to Iceland, marrying, fathering children and working outdoors as a roof contractor until he finally understood he needed to deal with his past.

After years of substance abuse and nearly committing suicide, David reached out to one of the original investigators, Julie Cochrane, who had become a psychologist.

For the first time, David tells his story.

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