A Liverpool mum who says she was held captive by her boyfriend for months on end has spoken out about her horrific ordeal.
Becky Keegan told police her partner David Lacey imprisoned her for more than nine months after she moved in with him and stopped her seeing her children, family and friends.
The 24-year-old says she escaped from a kitchen window in the house, breaking her ankle in the process, in a bid to get away from the man she was terrified of.
This July Lacey, of Sunnyside, Toxteth, was sentenced to 22 months in prison for putting a person in fear of violence after entering a guilty plea.
Becky Keegan, from Dovecot, has now told the ECHO about her traumatic experience in a bid to encourage others suffering domestic violence to seek help.
“I was just living in fear”
The mum-of-two, who has epilepsy, met Lacey, 24, in April last year on social media and moved in with him soon after.
Becky has children from a previous relationship and had an arrangement with their dad that she would drop them off at primary school on Fridays and he would collect them to look after them over weekends before she collected them on Sunday.
But she says the weekend she moved in with Lacey he wouldn’t let her collect her children and from them and banned her from making contact with her friends or family.
Becky said: “At the beginning I was really happy, he was making out he was this lovely person. Then he started showing little signs of jealousy.”
Neither were working so Becky was with Lacey most of the time. She says he would only let her out the house if he was with her and when he went out she was locked in the property.
She said: “I couldn’t go to the police because he’d sold my phone so I had no contact.
“I had no contact with my family, they were worried sick about me.
“The children’s dad didn’t know where I was living so he’d had to keep them.
“None of my family knew where I was living.
“I was just living in fear.”
Jumping from a window
Becky says in January this year she plucked up the courage to escape from Lacey’s house, injuring her ankle jumping from a window.
She said: “I went out the back window and over the wall.
“I was terrified. I had a bag on my back and just ran.”
Becky went to see her mum and then told the police about her ordeal.
“She was shocked, it was out of the blue,” said Becky.
“I told her everything and she said to go to the police.”
As a result of this Lacey was taken to court. Becky gave a statement but didn’t have to appear in the witness box give evidence because Lacey pleaded guilty.
Becky’s advice to anyone who thinks they may be suffering from domestic violence is to tell someone.
She said: “It is scary but you’ve got to come forward.
“It’s horrible knowing so much of it goes on and it’s all behind close doors.
“Make sure you get away and tell someone, even if it’s a family member or the doctor.”
The police put Becky in touch with several domestic violence support facilities and she attended a special course run by Liverpool health organisation HEAT.
She said: “A few months ago I was a wreck but I’m getting there now and realise I’m the stronger person.
“The course was really good and helped me realise the signs of domestic violence.”
How common is domestic abuse in Liverpool?
As many as one in three people in Liverpool may know someone who is suffering from domestic abuse, Liverpool Citizens Advice Partnership says.
A new programme by Liverpool Citizens Advice sees staff and volunteers work to identify and help domestic violence victims.
The organisation says the pilot of this programme in 2013 led to an 800 per cent rise in the number of people who told Citizens Advice they were experiencing a form of domestic abuse.
Amie Hall, development officer at Liverpool Citizens Advice Partnership, said: “Family and friends can be a lifeline to support for victims of domestic abuse in Liverpool. Those suffering from domestic abuse may feel unable to reach out for help themselves, so people who want to support them need to know the steps they can take and where they can get specialist help.
“We are joining the national Talk About Abuse campaign so we can help ordinary people know how to recognise abuse, talk about it safely, enable victims to make the right decisions for themselves. If you are experiencing domestic violence or abuse, or you are concerned someone you know might be in an abusive relationship, you can seek help by calling confidential freephone helplines.”
Where can you get help?
From any of the following organisations:
Liverpool CAB office
RASSA
SSOA
HEAT
SLDAS
LDAS
Amadudu
Broken Rainbow
Liverpool Womens Hospital
Adullum
Better Days Homes
YPAS
Centre 56
Merseycare
Liverpool City Council
The helplines people can call are:
– If the victim is a woman, you can get help from the freephone, twenty-four hour National Domestic Violence Helpline on 0808 2000 247 (run in partnership by Refuge and Women’s Aid)
– If the victim is a man, you can get help from the Men’s Advice Line on 0808 801 0327
– If the victim is lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, you can get specialised help from Broken Rainbow on 0300 999 5428
Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/