A 77-year-old award-winning writer has revealed how a lifetime of climbing and mountaineering became his lifeline, saving him from the severe psychological trauma of childhood sexual abuse he endured in silence for over five decades.
From Boarding School Abuse to BBC Presenter
Iain Peters was between the ages of nine and thirteen when he was subjected to weekly sexual assaults by his geography teacher, John Earle. The abuse took place at Upcott House, a preparatory boarding school in Okehampton, Devon, which has since closed.
After the school shut down, Earle embarked on a career in children's television, becoming a familiar face as a presenter on shows like Treasure House and Tom Tom. He also served as a storyteller for the BBC's flagship programme, Jackanory.
Breaking a 50-Year Silence and Finding a Path to Healing
Peters, who has waived his legal right to anonymity, finally reported the crimes to police in 2015. He described handing over "a grubby piece of paper" detailing his ordeal at a police station in Exeter. In 2017, at the age of 87, John Earle admitted six counts of indecently assaulting a boy and was sentenced to four years in prison.
Peters credits the extreme sport of climbing, introduced to him at age three by his grandfather, with preserving his mental health. "In effect, for 50-odd years I was suffering from PTSD," he stated. "In some ways, climbing, it saved my life. It saved my sanity."
He explained that the intense focus required on a vertical rock face created a vital form of dissociation. "When you're concentrating on staying alive halfway up a vertical rock face you can't then think 'Oh God, poor me, I was assaulted when I was nine years old.'"
A Memoir of Survival and a Beacon for Others
Peters has channelled his experiences into a memoir titled The Corridor, which explores how adventure and climbing helped him manage his childhood trauma. In November, the book received the prestigious Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature.
The abuse profoundly impacted his life choices, leading him to turn down a scholarship to Cambridge and affecting his relationships. He described a deep-seated fear of power, linking it directly to his abuser's actions. "I always rejected success because success led to power, and power led to being like a rapist," he reflected.
Tragically, he contrasted his own survival with the fate of his best friend, who was also abused by Earle but did not have climbing as an outlet. "He never recovered. He lost his mind," Peters said, revealing his friend once tried to stab him, explaining, "Because you survived."
Now, having found success in writing and in his personal life, Peters hopes his story will encourage other survivors to come forward. "We have to create a social culture that will make people feel that they shouldn't have shame, they shouldn't have guilt, that they can go for help," he urged, emphasising the need for young people in particular to feel supported.
