Richard Spencer recently publicly shared his story of domestic abuse at the hands of his wife Sheree, as part of a Channel 5 documentary My Wife, My Abuser: The Secret Footage.
Richard secretly recorded the incessant abuse on cameras installed at their home in East Yorkshire. Over a period of 20 years the pushing, shoving and slapping escalated and Sheree used methods of control, spat on Richard, locked him out of the house, defecated on him and was seen threatening him with a knife. The events often occurred whilst their children were present in the room.
The Judge described it as the worst case of controlling and coercive behaviour she had ever seen.
Unfortunately, Richard is not alone in his experience, and according to the National Centre for Domestic Violence, last year in the UK alone, 2.4 million adults were subjected to abuse, and a domestic abuse related call was made to the police every 30 seconds.
Disclosing abuse can be incredibly difficult. At Ellisons all our Family Lawyers undergo regular specialist training to identify abuse, create a safe space for clients and assist survivor clients sensitively alongside support agencies with the legal options available to them such as Non-Molestation Orders and Occupation Orders.
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