"Over time, I became used to managing the pain that was being inflicted on me. I became numb, I can't tell you what I focussed on because everything became nothing."

Those are the heartbreaking words of a survivor of domestic abuse in Warwickshire who has opened up on her experiences.

When the woman - who has not been named - first met her partner in June 2021, he seemed caring and attentive, but his behaviour became more and more controlling, eventually escalating to some of the "worst abuse" officers had seen.

The perpetrator's physical attacks were so severe that the survivor still bears scars. 

He isolated the woman from her family and subjected her to abuse that the survivor described as "torture" in her victim statement.

He treated her like that for two years - threatening to hurt her family if she said anything - before she was able to seek help.

Through the abuse, the perpetrator would call the survivor his 'queen' and threaten to take his own life if she didn't do what he wanted. 

This type of behaviour is typical in perpetrators of domestic abuse, Warwickshire Police said.

"People who haven't been through domestic abuse often ask, 'why didn't you just go to the police earlier'," she said.

"Until you're in that situation you just can't understand. He completely broke me mentally and I was a shell. I felt too ashamed to seek help. 

"He would either deny the abuse or he would convince me that it was my fault for not 'doing as I was told.'  

"He told me that if I ever reported him he'd hurt my family and my dog. He was so violent with me that I absolutely believed he would carry out his threats."

Police said the woman was "incredibly apprehensive" when she first spoke with them.

She eventually spoke of the relief that came when the man was arrested and she and her family were safeguarded.

"Somewhere inside I took the last ounce of strength that I had. By that point I think I'd given up for myself, but I was thinking about my children and my dog," she added.

"I'm forever grateful for the support of my advocate, my son and the police – who made sure I was safe and supported." 

The man was eventually jailed for five years and four months.

Find advise on domestic abuse here: Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) | Warwickshire Police