Mum beaten and left for dead by ex campaigns for law change to save other lives

14 January 2024 , 22:33

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Zoe was nearly killed in the brutal attack by her ex partner Jason Smith, who slashed at her with a meat cleaver in an eight hour ordeal

A mother who was brutally beaten and left for dead by her ex-partner is campaigning for a change in the law to save other lives.

Zoe Dronfield, now 47, almost died after a horrific eight-hour attack by her ex, Jason Smith, who was later jailed for 10 years. After Smith was convicted, Zoe learned he had previous convictions, and 13 other women came forward to say they had been victims also.

She has since campaigned with women’s charities for greater support and advice for victims of domestic abuse and helped devise a stalking app. She is now pushing for a change in the law, meaning serial stalkers and abusers would be included on the same register as sex offenders. The bill will be put before MP’s later this month.

Mum of two Zoe, from Coventry, says: “I could have died during the attack. It makes me so angry when I think of how easily it could have been prevented. I had no idea Jason had previous convictions, or that so many other women had suffered because of him.

Jason Smith was jailed for 10 years after he kicked Zoe Dronfield in the head and body and slashed her with a meat cleaver

Zoe was rushed to hospital with a bleed on the brain, fractures to her cheekbones, nose, arms and hands, and slash wounds

“I think Clare’s Law should be more widely publicised and more accessible. I am also working with other families to push for this latest change in the law. Women’s lives seem to count for so little. Victims, not the perpetrators, should come first. I won’t stop shouting about this until the government and the police take notice.”

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Zoe met Jason Smith in Coventry at the end of 2012, after he messaged her through a social media account, she had for a designer clothes shop she ran.

Zoe and her ex partner Jason, since the attack she has been campaigning alongside women’s charities Women’s Aid and Refuge

She says: “He was very loud and confident, he really filled a room. But he seemed to have a good heart too. He was a single parent, like me, and we bonded over that. “The day after our first date, he turned up outside my house. At the time, it seemed like an overblown romantic gesture but looking back, it was the start of the control.”

Zoe’s father then became seriously ill and Jason stepped in to support her. Zoe says: “My dad did a lot of my childcare, school runs and babysitting, so as well as being worried about him I struggled practically. Jason was amazing, he helped me out loads, and everyone agreed what a superstar he was. Without me realising, he became a part of my life very quickly. He didn’t move in, but he was there all the time.”

But by the end of 2013, Jason had lost his job as a car salesman, was drinking heavily, and no longer wanted to contribute. He became increasingly controlling and aggressive.

Zoe says: “He wanted to know where I was all the time. I couldn’t have a minute to myself. Over New Year, we had a scuffle over the house keys and he pushed me – and then insisted I had fallen. I told him I needed some time away and asked him to leave me alone. But he refused. He told me he’d come through the door if I didn’t let him in. I reported him to police, but they couldn’t help. Days later, Jason actually did break the door down and came charging into the house, begging me to take him back. Again, I reported him to police, and he was bailed.”

Zoe suffered broken ribs after the row at New Year

Zoe suffered severe injuries in the attack which almost killed her

In February 2014, Smith came to the house pleading with Zoe to talk to him. She says: “I thought it best to let him in and keep him calm. I told him it was over, and I’d already bagged his stuff up for him. He had nowhere to go and so I let him sleep on the sofa with the understanding he’d leave the following morning.”

But during the night, Zoe woke with a sharp kick to her head. It was the start of a horrific eight-hour attack, during which Smith kicked her around the head and body and slashed her multiple times with a meat cleaver. She says: “I was so shocked when I woke, I asked him: ‘What are you doing that for?’ Eventually, I lost consciousness, and when I came round, I could feel my head was swelling bigger and bigger. I was in so much pain.

“I tried getting out of bed to call for help myself, but he followed me. I convinced him to call 999, saying he’d have a murder on his hands otherwise. In the background of the call, I can be heard saying: ‘I am dying.’”

Zoe was rushed to hospital with a bleed on the brain, fractures to her cheekbones, nose, arms and hands, and slash wounds around her face and body. Smith, then 31, was jailed for 10 years in March 2015 at Warwick Crown Court after a jury convicted him of assault occasioning grievous bodily harm with intent and criminal damage.

Now Zoe is actively campaigning for abusive partners to be included on the sex offenders register

Zoe says: “My physical recovery took months and even now, I have only partial use of my left hand. But the mental scars were much worse. I found out Smith had previous convictions and more women came forward to make complaints about him. I was appalled. If I’d known what kind of man he was, I’d never have allowed him into my life and my children’s lives.”

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Realising she could make a difference, Zoe began campaigning alongside women’s charities such as Women’s Aid and Refuge. Zoe has received support from SUTDA (Stand Up To Domestic Abuse). She also worked with the National Stalking Advocacy Service, Paladin and was a consultant on the ‘anti-stalking’ app.

Her work has seen the sentencing threshold increased for stalking offences and she is now campaigning for abusive partners to be included on the sex offenders register so they can be easily identified and exposed.

A petition on Change.org has already gathered over 272,197 signatures, it can be viewed here.

Ann Cusack