A MUM clung to her baby as her violent ex beat her and chillingly threatened to "finish the job".
Mum-of-one Ellie Fairhurst also said her former partner threatened to throw acid in her face if she told anyone about the beating.
Ellie, 27, said that after punching her to the floor father-of-seven Anthony Martin, 35, told her: "If you scream I will finish the job”.
Ellie’s baby was also woken up during the attack.
The 27-year-old – who was left with a devastating eye injury – spoke out after Martin was spared jail and handed an anger management course despite being branded "a real danger to women".
She said: "People need to realise how dangerous this boy is."
The attack in June 2020 cracked Ellie's nasal wall causing an eye haemorrhage leaving her a "shadow" of her former self.
Ellie of Kimnel Bay, North Wales, said: "I was made to fear for my life the night I was attacked.
"Anthony kept shouting things at me, the one that sticks in my mind is: ‘If you scream, I'll finish the job,’ whilst standing over me holding my crying baby, who had woke from the noise.
"I couldn’t call for help because I didn’t know what would have happened next. I don’t know what would have happened to my baby, and the thought of him growing up without a mummy hurts.
"The unprovoked attack still haunts me to this day and something which I think will haunt me forever.
"Being forced to stay quiet in my own home, whilst in so much pain."
Martin admitted two counts of common assault, along with cultivating cannabis plants and siphoning electricity, at Caernarfon Crown Court.
The court heard that in a previous attack Martin had followed Ellie in a taxi after she went for food with a female friend, grabbing her by the arm and causing bruising.
He was handed a two year suspended sentence, ordered to carry out 200 hours unpaid work and told to complete an anger management course.
He was also slapped with a restraining order banning him from contacting Ellie.
But Ellie believes Martin "got off so lightly" and wants to warn other women.
She said: "The attack wasn’t the first, I cannot forgive myself for not screaming for
help that night or months before then when I noticed Anthony’s controlling nasty behaviour.
"Truth be told, I honestly believed this man was capable of killing me as he threatened to do so countless times over the months of knowing him.
"Therefore I was far too scared of him to do anything about it. He had no care about anyone other than himself."
Almost 18 months after the attack Ellie is continuing to have appointments on her eye but said she wanted to move on for the sake of her two-year-old son.
She said: "I was struggling mentally at the time in facing up to what had happened, I hated what I had become – a victim and absolute shadow of the person I was before.
"I will continue to fight to get better for the sake of my son because he deserves the best mum I can be.
"Never will I forget this bad memory, I think it’s going to have an effect on me forever, it changed me from the person I once was.
"The physical reminder I have will forever be there due to his actions, which is something I find really difficult to live with."
How you can get help
Women’s Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
- Always keep your phone nearby.
- Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999.
- Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, where you call 999 and press ‘55’ if you can’t safely speak.
- Always keep some money or a bank card on you, including change in case you need a pay phone or bus fare.
- If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to move towards an exit if you are inside the house and get your phone in case you need to call for help.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other potential weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom.
Women’s Aid provides a live chat service – available every day from 10am-6pm or email [email protected]
SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – [email protected].
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
Source: Read Full Article