Teri Hatcher reveals child abuse past

Teri Hatcher has revealed she was sexually abused by an uncle during her childhood. Hatcher says she kept the attacks secret until 2002, when the 14-year-old victim in an abuse case against uncle Richard Hayes Stone committed suicide. The Desperate Housewives star told Vanity Fair magazine she helped prosecutors by corroborating evidence against her uncle. Prosecutors say Stone pleaded guilty to four abuse counts after Hatcher got involved and was jailed for 14 years. His guilty plea meant Hatcher was not called upon to give evidence in court. Chuck Gillingham, deputy district attorney in Santa Clara County in California, said Hatcher's decision to testify had been instrumental in the conviction. He said: "Without Teri, this case would have been dismissed." Hatcher, 41, said she was aged five when Stone would manipulate situations so he could be alone to abuse her. She said: "He pleaded guilty, and even though it wasn't to my crime, it was because of my crime, and that made me feel validated.