Samantha Owens - Pimped: The Shocking True Story of the Girl Sold for Sex by Her Best Friend

L ife for me had been chaotic from the start.

I was born in Grimsby, a coastal town in the north-east of England, and I was the first of what would become a brood of six loud and rowdy children. My mum had me when she was just eighteen and, while I never knew my real dad, Mum met Mike in a pub when I was six months old and he became the only dad Ive ever known. I was four when we moved to Conway Avenue, and that was the first place I remember calling home. It was a three-bedroom house at the end of a row of terraces. Our nan lived in the house opposite and Auntie Tracey, Mums sister, was only a few doors away. I loved it.

Grimsby in the nineties was a quiet town and as my siblings, David and Toni, came along in quick succession, we were often left to create our own fun. I was a boisterous child, which made me unpopular with the other girls at school, but that never bothered me because I had David. The pair of us were as thick as thieves and Mum despaired when wed return home covered in mud and dirt, laughing and play-fighting until one of us got hurt. On the days when David and I fell out, Id sit alone in my room playing My Little Pony. I dreamed of becoming a vet, rescuing broken animals and nursing them back to health. I pretended the toy ponies were my patients, giving them CPR and imagining Id saved them.

While Mum stayed home to look after the babies, Dad worked hard to make ends meet. Whether it was in factories or picking up odd jobs, he always brought money home to support us. Mum was always pregnant but, despite her being at home, she wasnt maternal and she always seemed frustrated when we were around.

After school each day we were sent to our rooms to play, but I shared a room with Toni, who was three years younger than me, and I hated her getting into my things. One day I took a marker pen out of my colouring set and drew a black line across the floor to mark our respective sides of the room. I thought it would keep Toni away from my toys, but when Mum found out she hit the roof and we scrubbed to get the ink out of the carpet.

In the evenings I sat in my room hoping Dad wasnt working late so Id have someone to tuck me into bed, but the days were often spent running around playing tig with David and the kids on the street.

Dont go past the green box! Mum would shout from the living room as wed dart out the front door. The big electrical box on the corner of the street marked the end of our territory and staying within the boundary created a stretch of road we were free to play in. It felt like a safe haven. Nan would wave to us from her window and, in the summer holidays, Grandad would come out with ice cream for all the local kids. It was great.

I was friends with a girl called Emily, who lived down the road. She was three years older than me but had learning difficulties and that meant she often found herself on her own. I felt sorry for her and I always made sure to say yes when she wanted me to come over. It was a time of pure innocence, laughing and playing with Emily, but that came to an abrupt end when I was five years old. On a day like any other, I went round for a playdate at her house after school. As I sat cross-legged in my red jumper and grey skirt on her bedroom floor, she pulled down the toys from her shelves before turning her attention back to me.

Do you want me to show you something? she asked, sitting herself down beside me. I nodded. What happened next is a blur. Its as though my memory was completely wiped, but the next thing I remember I was running home. Mum and Dad were both on the sofa, brew in hand, chatting to my nan who was sat in the armchair, when I came scurrying through the door.

Mum! I shouted as I rushed into the living room. Mum! Emily did something today.

What did she do, Sammy? Mum asked, not paying much attention. I could tell I was interrupting their conversation. Toni was two years old and was curled up next to Dad.

She put her fingers in my mini-moo, I replied, pointing at my school skirt. I immediately had everyones attention.