A VICTIM of domestic violence has spoken of her harrowing ordeal at the start of a force-wide awareness campaign.
West Yorkshire Police today launched the countywide initiative as figures show they dealt with a domestic violence incident every 15 minutes – some 35,000 a year.
Under the banner ‘How much more can you take?’ the force aims to spread the message that domestic abuse crime is unacceptable and that help is available for people suffering at the hands of abusers.
One brave victim, who did not want to be named, told the Examiner she was abused by her partner while pregnant in 2000.
She said: “He punched me in the head and headbutted me just weeks before I was due to give birth.
“The abuse was random and unprovoked.
“Then two years later I had another child with him, but the abuse continued but I didn’t report it to the police.
“It then started to become more aggressive and more frequent. He became very controlling and I wasn’t allowed out of the house without him, could not wear makeup or talk to any other men.
“He was also jealous of the attention I paid the two children and would damage the house.
“I was threatened with hammers, punched, kicked, bitten and had various items thrown at me.”
Almost a decade later she decided enough was enough and reported him to police.
Supt Scott Bisset paid tribute to the woman for having the courage to deal with the situation.
He said: “This woman has been very brave to put herself forward and to speak about what happened to her.
“Many victims of domestic violence don’t report what has happened to them because they are afraid.
“But by speaking out about the unacceptable things that happened to her she has shown that if victims report these crimes to us we will take action.
“The Christmas period has in the past seen a rise in domestic violence and we want to make sure that the message gets across that it will not be tolerated, whatever the time of year, and those who commit it will be tracked down and arrested.”
Supt Bisset stressed dedicated officers are highly trained to deal with those responsible for the crime and along with officers from the Safeguarding Unit, they will be on hand throughout the Christmas and New Year period.
Victims of domestic violence should always report the crimes to police by ringing 999 in an emergency or 101.
For more information about domestic violence and other organisations who can offer support, visit www.westyorkshire.police.uk/domesticviolence
