My story
Notifications OFF
Hi everyone. I’ve just created this account because I am drowning in anger and carrying a secret that is starting to break me.
In December 2021, my stepson (who was 18 at the time, now 23) viewed and shared an indecent image of a minor. My husband and I knew absolutely nothing about it until the police turned up at our door with a search warrant. They knew exactly what they were looking for—the wanted to check all devices but especially keen to see Apple devices, which only my stepson had, and they ignored our Android devices. They took him into a room alone, and because he was an adult, they legally couldn't tell us what he said.
After they left, my stepson claimed it was "just an app," "just one picture," and that he "didn't know she was underage." The police ultimately took No Further Action (NFA). To protect my stepson, me and my husband agreed to sweep it under the rug, pretend it never happened, and never speak of it again.
Fast forward to recently: my stepson and his partner had a baby. My husband and I stepped up as kinship carers and raised our grandson for his entire first year. Since then, the relationship has broken down, and they are now slowly and cruelly cutting us out of our grandson’s life.
After giving a year of our lives to raise our grandsons it has made me incredibly angry. I started looking into how the police and search warrants actually work, and the reality has hit me like a ton of bricks. I now realize the "one-off accident" story he gave us was potentially a lie to protect his own skin. Information I read seems to say that the police don't get warrants for a single accidental click; they trace specific digital footprints and active sharing, we always felt the police seemed to know it was his iPhone before they even knocked on our door.
I feel so betrayed. I compromised my own morals and peace of mind for five years to protect him, and now he is weaponising our grandson against us.
I am just so full of rage. I don't want to carry his toxic secret anymore, but I worry about the fallout it would cause.
In December 2021, my stepson (who was 18 at the time, now 23) viewed and shared an indecent image of a minor. My husband and I knew absolutely nothing about it until the police turned up at our door with a search warrant. They knew exactly what they were looking for—the wanted to check all devices but especially keen to see Apple devices, which only my stepson had, and they ignored our Android devices. They took him into a room alone, and because he was an adult, they legally couldn't tell us what he said.
After they left, my stepson claimed it was "just an app," "just one picture," and that he "didn't know she was underage." The police ultimately took No Further Action (NFA). To protect my stepson, me and my husband agreed to sweep it under the rug, pretend it never happened, and never speak of it again.
Fast forward to recently: my stepson and his partner had a baby. My husband and I stepped up as kinship carers and raised our grandson for his entire first year. Since then, the relationship has broken down, and they are now slowly and cruelly cutting us out of our grandson’s life.
After giving a year of our lives to raise our grandsons it has made me incredibly angry. I started looking into how the police and search warrants actually work, and the reality has hit me like a ton of bricks. I now realize the "one-off accident" story he gave us was potentially a lie to protect his own skin. Information I read seems to say that the police don't get warrants for a single accidental click; they trace specific digital footprints and active sharing, we always felt the police seemed to know it was his iPhone before they even knocked on our door.
I feel so betrayed. I compromised my own morals and peace of mind for five years to protect him, and now he is weaponising our grandson against us.
I am just so full of rage. I don't want to carry his toxic secret anymore, but I worry about the fallout it would cause.
