aspect of my life and make me feel worthless.
My self-esteem is irreparably damaged but
I’m seeing a counsellor and getting stronger.
I believe I’ll meet someone amazing one day
who actually deserves my love.
No one should be controlled, demeaned or
pushed around by their partner. I hope others
will realise that this type of behaviour isn’t
normal and support is out there. Glyn will
never get the better of me again.
ANN CUSACK & HADLEY MIDDLETONThen, in June 2018, he threw a cup of hot
coffee over me. He pushed me around the
flat and I screamed, begging him to stop. In
another row, he punched me so hard in the
knee that I couldn’t stand up.
I knew I had to finish the relationship once
and for all. I was afraid for our son, who
deserved to grow up in a happy, loving home.
Two months later, I gathered enough
courage to contact the police. As I was giving
my statement, I realised Glyn had made me
feel like a prisoner in my own home. I’d been
forced to obey his rules and now I hardly
recognised the woman I used to be.
Glyn was charged with assault and
controlling or coercive behaviour and in
January 2019, he appeared at Llandudno
Magistrates’ Court. I gave evidence from
behind a screen. I heard him laughing but
I didn’t back down. After years of being
abused emotionally and physically by that
monster, I was determined to break free.
Glyn, then 35, was found guilty of one
charge of controlling or coercive behaviour
and both assaults against me. He was jailed
for 18 months and I was granted a ten-year
restraining order against him.
It’s only now that I truly understand what
Glyn did to me. He wanted to control everywere desperate for me to reconsider, Glyn
was convincing and he moved back in.
Things between us seemed OK to begin
with, but gradually he grew cold and paranoid
again. He would demand that I come home at
the same time every morning. If I was more
than a minute late after dropping our son off at
school, he would explode. I couldn’t believe
I’d fallen for his empty promises again. He
wouldn’t even let me watch TV programmes
such as the snooker because he thought
I fancied Ronnie O’Sullivan, and if I was
listening to music, he’d turn it off.
I was trapped in a vicious cycle of control
and manipulation. I reported Glyn to the police
another three times and he was ordered
to stay away from me by the courts. I even
moved into a women’s refuge for a while,
but Glyn always found a way to manipulate
my emotions and make me feel guilty about
leaving him. He would then move back in and
subject me to the same vile insults and
aggressive outbursts. 2women2many is new! and
Refuge’s anti-domestic violence
campaign, which highlights
the shocking statistic that two
women die each week in
England and Wales at the hands
of a violent partner or ex-partner.
Continue your support by:
■ Tweeting @new_magazine using
#2women2many
■ If you or someone you know needs
support, visit refuge.org.uk
■ If you’ve experienced domestic
violence and would like to share your
story, email [email protected]REAL LIFE
x banned
ain relief
Glyn was jailed
for 18 monthsZoe is slowly
rebuilding
her lifeZoe with her
little boy