Natasha Ryan

AdelaideNow... 'Girl in cupboard' Natasha Ryan to marry man who hid her

The couple, who have a four-year-old son, Corey, hope their wedding will bring a sense of healing after years of heartache.

Down the track a bit this will be a lovely story. Until now it has been a lot of heartache for different people. She was fourteen at the time she hid. At the same time there was a serial killer around and so the family and community concerns were well founded. Concerns with a 14 year old and a man 7 years older than her were probably well founded too. But they kept this secret for 5 years and it must have been as terrible for them as it was for the families and the communities. Perhaps we need to look at how we manage cases like this so that young girls don't have to hide for 5 years. The law is the law, but these two were obviously very attached to each other, in a way you hear of other people being attached to each other against the odds. Luckily it has turned out happily. The story of Romeo and Juliet has some lessons for us all and it still has relevance. As a mother I would have been beside myself and inconsolable had my 14 year old gone missing at the time a serial killer was around. you can see this is very complex emotionally. I hope the wounds will heal and that they can all get a fresh and positive start in life.