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Relationships

Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

How to advise my lovely brother ... TW SA

15 replies

hydrojen · 01/08/2023 09:12

My lovely brother is in his early fifties.
Has beautiful children with whom he shares custody.
Divorced four years and got into a relationship with another woman who is also divorced.
They were together for nearly two years.
She seemed lovely and friendly and gradually started spending more time at his. She lives 60 miles away.
His kids gradually spent less time at his as they felt pushed out.
She felt like he was too available to his kids beck and call.

This lady was subject to a serious sexual assault many many years ago and the perpetrator is in prison for that assault and other offences.
She told our family about it . We were naturally very upset and sympathetic towards her.
She refuses counselling or therapy. I can understand why. I expect the whole thing has been massively traumatic and of course she doesn't want to dig up all of those memories .
My brother adored her and they spoke of a future together .

However, he finished the relationship recently and while they've had major disagreements before , they've always made up.

He is genuinely gutted. It feel it's right.
She is devastated and keeps calling and contacting him, calling to his house unannounced and entering at all times of day and night.

She is contacting our family and is very angry and verbally aggressive, telling us things he has told her in confidence about our serious complex family issues. This has divided us a family .

It transpires that she was less than honest about her financial affairs and is indeed in hundreds and f thousands of pounds in debt. Doesnt own the home she said she did .

It also transpires that she has been cheating, emotionally and sexually.
My brother has told me... we are the very best of friends... that she has been in contact throughout their relationship with lots of men from her past and present and keeps consistent contact with all of them and meets them regularly and that she tells him regularly how all of these men find her very sexually attractive and want her. He says she enjoys the boost and cannot see why he was unhappy with this situation.

He is a shell.
Devastated and his self esteem is in his boots.

But now she has started again to arrive at his home and ringing him telling him that she regrets ever telling him about the sexual assault. He doesn't know why she is saying this but feels crippled with guilt and shame for finishing with her.

He is running around dropping things to her home, collecting packages for her during her work hours , listening to her goi g from rage to crying to pleading to reminiscing .
It's not my circus, I know that but he has t confided in anyone else and I really don't know how to support his as I know very little about sexual assault and its aftermath
.
Of course, I dont want this for him but feel so upset for her also.

How do I support and advise , as asked ?

OP posts:
hydrojen · 01/08/2023 09:42

Shameless bump.. Can anyone advise me please

OP posts:
YoSof · 01/08/2023 09:49

What an awful situation for your brother.

Being in contact with her is not helping her, or him. It’s sad that the relationship has ended, but he has done the right thing and her issues are sadly not his problem or responsibility.

He needs to kindly tell her, by text so it’s in writing, that the relationship is over and he wants no further contact. If she persists he needs to be prepared to go to the police.

user1492757084 · 01/08/2023 09:56

He needs to take out an intervention order on her.
He needs to change his phone number, not answer the door (move temporarily) etc.

You also should take out legal steps to have her leave you alone if she refuses to stop calling you when you ask her to cease contact.

hydrojen · 01/08/2023 09:56

Thank you.
He did block her phone number as she was becoming very verbally abusive at all times of day and night but she then found another way to contact him.
He feels such remorse , awful guilt. Feels like he is letting her down.
Ash e essentially had nobody as her adult children live away.
She has friends but they had a planned to live together and be together for the future .

OP posts:
hydrojen · 01/08/2023 09:57

I guess he just a not ready to cut that cord yet out of guilt.
He knows he needs to. I've advised him of that but I think his conscience won't allow him yet.

OP posts:
YoSof · 01/08/2023 09:59

Your brother sounds lovely, but he is not capable of “fixing” another human and nor should he try. It will destroy him and won’t help her either, she sounds like she has been through immense trauma and needs professional help but only she can do that.

He didn’t cause it. He can’t cure it.

The kindest thing he can do for her is to cut contact.

Ponderingwindow · 01/08/2023 10:07

you should be advising your brother to prioritize his relationship with his children at this point.

hydrojen · 01/08/2023 10:09

I have been advising him to do that and he has been spending the majority f his spare time with them. We are all relieved it's over but of course he doesn't know that.
I'm just worried he will start the relationship again from a place of guilt

OP posts:
hydrojen · 01/08/2023 10:43

Thanks . Has anyone else experienced this or have any advice please

OP posts:
Pottyberry · 01/08/2023 10:56

This sounds very upsetting for all concerned. I am dreadfully sorry for what this woman has suffered with the assault. Op could you make the point that it is actually not helping her by your brother maintaining contact? As pps have said, the kindest thing is to make a clean break so that she can accept its really over and start to move on without him.
I appreciate he's feeling guilty, but he really does have a right to end a relationship if he wants to. I feel if this was a man constantly turning up at an exes house and being verbally aggressive to their family advice would be to call the police.
Clean break is honestly kinder imo.
Wish you well.

hydrojen · 01/08/2023 11:02

Thank you. My fear for him and his kids is that he will resume his relationship with her out of guilt and remorse. He is that type and his self esteem is at rock bottom having been disrespected for so long in terms of her interactions with other men and never feeling quite' good enough' .
They have got back together on many occasions for the same reasons.
I almost feels abusive at times which is possibly a horrid thing to say but I do believe that she needs the validation and ego boosting from other men also.

OP posts:
Celynfour · 01/08/2023 11:02

I have experience of advising a brother but not of the aftermath of SA , I work in therapeutic services so can give insights only .
the SA (and I mean this kindly with no offence to anyone who has suffered a SA) is a red herring in this instance being used to tweak emotions .
Supporting a brother is a mixture of kindness and tough love . My brother did not like everything I had to say and he occasionally would take it out on me by getting upset with me . But keep best interests at the heart of everything you do and say .
I would echo that everything has been said - you can’t make him finish the relationship but you can help hold firm and that may need intervention from the authorities .

hydrojen · 01/08/2023 11:04

Thanks @Celynfour . I don't understand what that means regarding a red herring being used to tweak emotions ?

OP posts:
Celynfour · 01/08/2023 11:39

I just meant that I am not sure of the relevance of it in regards to him choosing to finish the relationship . It feels that she is using her past trauma to influence him .
anyone can choose to finish a relationship but the transition is very hard .
could you suggest he seeks some counselling to help him work through his feelings ?

Dery · 01/08/2023 11:43

“Op could you make the point that it is actually not helping her by your brother maintaining contact? As pps have said, the kindest thing is to make a clean break so that she can accept its really over and start to move on without him.
I appreciate he's feeling guilty, but he really does have a right to end a relationship if he wants to. I feel if this was a man constantly turning up at an exes house and being verbally aggressive to their family advice would be to call the police. Clean break is honestly kinder imo.”

This. The sexual assault is awful and devastating for her but people go through horrendous experiences without feeling a need to cheat on their partners and without generally spraying toxicity everywhere. Your brother is entitled to walk away and she won’t achieve stability if your brother keeps enabling her. A relationship which leaves him a shell is a bad relationship for him and for this woman to be in. It damages them both.

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