News

"Pissabed, ugly, scarface...": names Constance Briscoe

Judge sparks bitter family feud over her abuse claims in bestselling book

She overcame personal tribulations to become one of Britain’s finest barristers and one of the first black female judges. But Constance Briscoe endured a horrific childhood.

From suffering the humiliation and derision of being called “Miss Pissabed" (bed wetter) and “scarface" to having her breasts beaten and her nipples pinched, she has triumphed over adversity.

She revealed all in her best selling autobiography, Ugly.

But her family are disputing some of the accounts of the Judge’s early life – as she told it.

Half-sisters Cynthia and Norma Eastman say the family is deeply hurt by the allegations in the book. They may now be heading to court to seek damages.

The family of tell-it-all judge and bestselling author Constance Briscoe may be heading to court to seek damages for defamation of character.

Constance Briscoe’s disturbing biography Ugly, which depicts her mother Carmen as a vile, systematically abusive parent and her stepfather as someone who once molested her, hit number one on the Times bestsellers list. But now it seems that the gripping tales of abuse, neglect and derision may land the barrister and part-time judge in court.

Briscoe’s half sisters Cynthia and Norma Eastman are fuming over the way their parents have been portrayed by their “Cinderella” sister. And her mother Carmen, a 50s Jamaican migrant, is said to be pursuing her own own actions.

Cynthia contacted The Voice spilling her distress over the contents of the book.

An e-mail signed jointly by the sisters said: “I am not sure whether you have been following the media and news on Constance Briscoe one of the UK’s first black judges, and her book called Ugly. But if not please let me introduce myself.

“My name is Cynthia Eastman. I am writing to you regarding Constance Briscoe (my sister) who has published the book called Ugly ... she claims that she was abused by her mother (my mother) and step-father (my father). These allegations are totally untrue.

“I would like for you to give a thought to (allow) other members of the family who have been deeply hurt by these stories to speak the truth.

“If this is possible please let me know as other members of the family would be very grateful to The Voice”.

DEFAMATION

Lawyer for the sisters Ade Soyege told The Voice that he will be filing a writ soon. He said: “I have read the book four times and there are serious cases for defamation. All the work has been done and the public will be exposed to the truth within two weeks. We are not prepared to give specifics now but whatever solutions the law allows, that is what we are after.”

But Constance Briscoe’s solicitor Sarah Webb said her client stands firmly behind everything that’s printed in the book. “We have the evidence that support the allegations that Constance has made in the book. She stands by every word that’s been written. All the information was made available to the publishers before they agreed to publish,” she said.

Ugly throws up detailed accounts of Briscoe’s childhood, outlining numerous cases of alleged abuse at the hands of her mother and stepfather. She said she was sexually abused by her stepfather on one occasion. But she alleged the constant abuse came from her mother who she says repeatedly beat and kicked her, spat at her and deprived her of food.

She said her mother beat her when she wet the bed and constantly referred to her as “Miss Pissabed”. She claimed she was also called other names like “Scarface” and “Black Bitch”. She said her mother would punch her bosom and pull her nipples to punish her. She developed lumps in her breasts as a result of the cruelty and had to have corrective surgery years later.

On one occasion after a row erupted over cooking, Constance claimed her mother used a kitchen knife to slash her arm. She had to sleep on the floor while her sisters had beds and when her mother moved out and left her and other sisters at age 14, she had to pay her mother rent while her sisters paid nothing.

She was constantly told she would not amount to anything and once checked herself into social services. She told The Times in an interview: “My mother’s behaviour was a combination of temperament and circumstances. But now that I’m a mother, I think even more that her treatment was completely incomprehensible and unacceptable. I do not forgive her.”

Brisco said that in 1999 her mother tried to sabotage her career by writing to the Bar Council alleging that her daughter had put a contract out on her. The Council dismissed the allegations and Constance responded to her mother thus: “You are a very sad and sick woman. My one regret is that you and I happened to be in the same room when I was born. Every day I pray the good Lord takes you sooner than later.”

Constance Briscoe told The Voice that she had heard about plans for the lawsuit and is urging her siblings to bring it on. Ugly is presently number 2 on the Sunday Times Best Sellers list.

Published: 13 February 2006
Issue: 1205

site comments powered by Disqus