The other side of abuse: British woman in court for abusing boyfriend

A British man has revealed he endured years of abuse at the hands of his girlfriend, but was too frightened to seek help from the police. 

According to the Daily Mail, Alex Skeel, 22 was physically and mentally abused by his girlfriend, Jordan Worth, throughout their four-year relationship. Details of the abuse were heard in the Luton Crown Court this week, where Worth was jailed for 7 years after pleading guilty to controlling or coercive behaviour in an intimate relationship, wounding with intent and causing grievous bodily harm with intent. 

Skeel told the court Worth repeatedly scalded him with boiling water, stabbed him in the arms and hands and hit him with bottles and tools. She also prevented him from seeing and contacting his friends and banned him from using social media. Skeel said he was mentally tortured for years before the abuse became physical in the last nine months of their relationship.

“I thought my limbs might have to be amputated. I had open burns,” he told the Daily Mail. “I went from 10st down to seven. It was awful. I was infected from the burns pretty much all over my body. Luckily they managed to treat it.”

While Skeel’s family were aware of Worth’s controlling behaviour, they didn’t know she had become violent and dangerous. According to the report, Skeel would be punished if he tried to contact his family.

“She kept me away from them for two years,” he said. “I have a very loving family and she wouldn’t let me talk to them. She would hit me and throw boiling water on me and stab me in the arms and say that I’ve been speaking to my family, but I hadn’t.”

Read more: Baby Boomer women tell of the silent epidemic of domestic violence

The court heard how the couple moved in with each other early on in their relationship, making it easy for Worth to control her boyfriend. The violence began with hitting and punching, before she used weapons and bottles to inflict abuse. Skeel said he tried to remove the weapons from the house, but she’d often come home with new tools, such as hammers and knives.

Neighbours heard an argument in 2017, leading police to arrive at the couple’s home. Worth was arrested and ambulance staff discovered Skeel’s many injuries, including a burn he had tried to self-treat with cling wrap. 

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, one in six women and one in 16 men have experienced partner violence since the age of 15. Women are nearly three times more likely to experience partner violence than men, with around 1.6 million being impacted.

One in five women (18 per cent or 1.7 million) and one in twenty men (4.7 per cent or 428,800) experienced sexual violence, while one in four women (23 per cent or 2.2 million) and one in six men (16 per cent or 1.4 million) reported experiencing emotional abuse by a current or or previous partner since the age of 15.

For those who are seeking to end an abusive relationship, Australia has a number of services available to help. In an emergency, call 000 immediately. For non-emergencies call Lifeline (13 11 14), Relationships Australia (1300 364 277) or Mensline (1300 789 978). These hotlines are available to provide help and assistance for those in need.

Have you ever experienced abuse in a relationship? Do you think more attention should be paid to male victims?