Mum opens up about abuse she endured at hands of partner in front of kids
A mum has bravely opened about the abuse she endured at the hands of her partner including being attacked in front of their children.
Jack Lowther, 28, attacked his partner of 15 years in front of their two children after the mother and girls returned from an easter egg hunt. Bobbie-Leigh Tindall, 28, was slapped, punched, and throttled by Lowther after walking up the stairs in their home. Lowther pulled a knife from his pocket, at the top of her staircase when he “slapped her 20 times”. Their children witnessed the entire event and ran from the house crying.
Beautician Bobbie-Leigh, 28, managed to get downstairs but collapsed in their Oldham home. Lowther had dialled 999 but then allegedly told dispatchers his children had been “messing about on the phone”. The girls' screams were heard in the background and emergency services were immediately sent.
Bobbie-Leigh recalled the abuse she suffered (Bobbie-Leigh Tindall)Lowther, 28, fled the scene, but was found and arrested a short time later. Bobbie-Leigh has made a full recovery. She told Manchester Evening News that the attack, which happened on the evening of April 9, followed years of emotional abuse. But the mum, who first started dating Lowther at the age of 13, says she didn't see anything wrong with her husband's behaviour.
She said: "That's all I've ever known, I didn't know that wasn't normal. I don't know what a normal relationship was like. He would take my phone off me and wouldn't watch the kids when I'd go to work. I'd have to find childcare. I have my own business and I pay the bills in the house. I couldn't stop, I just had to carry on. He's just been really nasty, mentally and emotionally. Even if I got him a present, it was wrong.
Met Police sacks 17 new recruits over 'inappropriate morals and ethics'
The mother now suffers from PTSD (Bobbie-Leigh Tindall)
Bobbie-Leigh has made a full recovery (Bobbie-Leigh Tindall)"I'll never forget the screams I heard that night. They were hysterical. We went into the bedroom and he was punching me. My daughter got in front of me on the bed asking him to stop. She said 'please stop, you're hurting mummy'. He strangled me, punched me, slapped me and threw a wine glass at me – all while my little girls were at the side of me."
Lowther pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and was sentenced at Chester Crown Court on September 15. He was sentenced to two years and two months. He was also ordered to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work and ordered not to contact his ex or the kids under the terms of a restraining order.
Sentencing, Recorder Ciaran Rankin told him: "You produced a knife. That must have been terrifying for her. [You described] this as a petty argument that escalated. You were sad the children witnessed the assault."
Lowther attacked the mother of his children leaving her covered in blood (Bobbie-Leigh Tindall)The court heard Lowther has a previous conviction of battery in 2010 and that there were callouts to the family home in the past. Bobbie-Leigh, who trains celebrities at her aesthetics business, married Lowther when she was 19. The mum can still recall the events of that traumatic night like it was yesterday.
She added: "I wasn't even bothered about fighting back, I was bothered about my children seeing it. We had been out for a family meal. I went to my business partner's and we did an Easter egg hunt with my kids.
"While I was there, I was getting abusive messages because [Jack] wouldn't let me out of the house. I was only there for an hour because I didn't want an argument. [At home], he slapped me across the face 20 times then got the knife out. He was slapping me and slapping me. I didn't realise how bad it was. Now that I've been on my own for a few months, I feel free."
She added: "This year, I met the most broken of myself, but also the strongest. I suffered from PTSD from hearing my little girls' screams, and having very low self-confidence and self-esteem. I was very insecure through mental and emotional abuse.
"I got up every day and I didn't let it keep me down. I carried on with my work on my children. This time around four months ago, I wanted to end my own life. I wouldn't want anyone to ever feel the way I did. [If I stayed with him], I would have ended up dead. I've been through more than anyone would ever know. My children saved me."
*For confidential support, call the 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Freephone Helpline on 0808 2000 247 or visit womensaid.co.uk If you or your family have lost a friend or family member through fatal domestic abuse, AAFDA (Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse) can offer specialist and expert support and advocacy. For more info visit www.aafda.org.uk
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
