I remember on one occasion we were in the large Superdrug on East Street. We huddled together in front of the Rimmel display and dropped a tray of blue eye shadows into Louise’s bag on the floor at our feet. I casually walked out of the store onto the street and was immediately grabbed by a female shop detective. She marched me through a staff door and up to an office with grey filing cabinets and a large ‘conference’ table in the centre. I was told to sit down while we waited for the police to arrive. The shop detective sat opposite me and stared at me like I was a dog fouling up her perfectly manicured lawn. She didn’t say a word.

As I sat there, I experienced fear like I never had before. All of it was focused on the reaction of my father. If I could have ended my life there and then, I would have done so. Fear was circulating through my body like a hot river, and I could feel my heartbeat pumping ten to the dozen in my chest, my head and even my arms. My forehead was itching and sweating and my hands and legs were shaking. My mouth was dry and my stomach felt like a tumble drier full of moths.

A few minutes passed before Louise entered the room with two different shop detectives behind her. I was relieved to see her face. She gave me a little reassuring smile. The male shop detective took Louise’s bag from her and poured the contents onto the table. Some school exercise books, a pencil case and her school uniform spilled out. As the man sorted through it, it became apparent that the tray of eye shadow was no longer there. The female detective asked Louise if she was willing to be searched and Louise agreed. She was taken to a different room and then returned a few minutes later, flashing me another smile as she did so. The three shop detectives left the room.

We sat in silence. I couldn’t speak. I expected a police officer to enter the room any minute. ‘You okay?’ asked Louise. I just shook my head and then rested it on the table as I began to sob. The female detective returned to the room and told us to come with her. She walked us back onto the shop floor and told us that we were free to leave but that they knew our faces and we were never to return. We walked away from the shop and down to the seafront in silence. I still thought that at any moment I would be grabbed by a police officer and taken away.