Rachel is a victim of domestic violence. Why won’t West Midlands Police help her?
Funny and full of affection was how Rachel* first described her new romance. She met her new partner, Steve*, in 2005 at work and a year later began a relationship. She says he was an inveterate teller of jokes. “He was so funny and so quick off the mark,” she said. “I was happy to have met him”.
They married in 2007. Rachel was pregnant with their first son, and believed they had developed a strong bond. Within a year of the marriage, however, the relationship deteriorated. “He started drinking heavily and had become increasingly aggressive and abusive,” she said. “This was behaviour he had never previously exhibited with me.”
They married in 2007. Rachel was pregnant with their first son, and believed they had developed a strong bond. Within a year of the marriage, however, the relationship deteriorated. “He started drinking heavily and had become increasingly aggressive and abusive,” she said. “This was behaviour he had never previously exhibited with me.”