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Southern Daily Echo
Thursday 16th September 2010
By Jenny Makin, Crime Reporter
A TERRIFIED young mum suffered years of abuse at the hands of her depraved partner who tried to kill their unborn child, a court heard.
The woman was aged just 14 when she first met the married dad of two. She went to live with him after escaping the clutches of her father who had sexually abused her.
She was 15 when she first slept with the man, who is now aged 50, after he told her she was “pretty” and that he did not love his wife.
Southampton Crown Court heard how the pair, who cannot be named for legal reasons, went on to have seven children – one of whom was stillborn just days after the man is claimed to have carried out an horrific assault on her, having allegedly drugged her with Prozac.
Southampton Crown court heard the woman, now 34, is alleged to have endured a catalogue of appalling abuse while living with the “dominant and controlling” man who had “conditioned” her to believe the treatment she received was normal. The alleged abuse included: n Slapping and punching her and regularly leaving her with black eyes.
- Making her stand in the corner of a room for hours.
- Not letting her go out alone.
- Using a wooden slat from a bunk bed to beat her round the head days before she gave birth.
- Using his belt to assault her.
- Demanding sex every day – and having it whether she agreed or not.
- Using objects like a knife handle, bottle and screwdriver to indecently assault her.
Prosecutor Nick Tucker told the court how in 2006 the woman had been seven months pregnant with their fifth child – a son – when he went mad and began “ranting and raving” that the baby was not his.
He told jurors how he forced his partner to swallow 15 Prozac tablets before beating her, hitting her around the face and dragging her on to the bed.
Mr Tucker said: “What happened next is fairly gruesome.”
He then described how the man put his hands around her throat and attempted to “manually remove the baby”. He then allegedly began punching her in the stomach and hitting her round the face.