Although the event she recounts sounds like it might come from a horror movie, it actually happened to her.
Her ex-husband kept their son at knifepoint while holding her captive in their own house. With a lighter in his fingers, he had filled their tiny daughter’s room to the brim with gasoline.
The result of ten years of oppressive control was this.
After reporting her partner’s abuse to the police, Sadie (not her real name) feels let down, and she’s not the only one.
Domestic abuse victims claim the criminal justice system is failing them.
In England and Wales, the number of cases resulting from domestic abuse-related offenses has decreased by 45% since 2015. However, thousands of protective orders, which are meant to keep abusers away from their victims, are being broken.
Prosecutors and police are currently working to address the issue, but will it be possible?
Sadie’s spouse used to monitor her with cameras in their home, keep the family confined to the premises, and frequently show up at work without warning—even lurking in the trunk of Sadie’s car.
“If I went shopping, he would time me,” she claims. “I’d have to video call him when going round the supermarket.”
