Escape

Carolyn Jessop was born into a religious cult known as the Fundamentalist Church of the Latter Day Saints, a 10,000-strong community living in Arizona, USA. Aged 18 she was coerced into marriage with a 50-year-old man she barely knew. She became his fourth wife, and had eight children in 15 years. This is the true story of Carolyn Jessop's life in this violent and abusive cult. Half-starved, constantly pregnant, women were denied access to proper healthcare or contraception, and sometimes beaten so badly that they could not hear or see for days. Children were brainwashed, taught that everyone outside the community was evil, that dinosaurs never existed and men never set foot on the moon. Books were banned. The local police were cult members and would prevent women from escaping; children were beaten by other cult members to keep their parents in line. But Carolyn Jessop escaped and just a year later her testimony was central to getting the assets of the cult frozen, and its notorious leader, Warren Jeffs, put on trial. This is her astonishing story.