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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

Am I bad for pressing charges on my abuser / child’s father

130 replies

Pinkflowersxo · 29/06/2024 15:52

Please keep this anonymous

I have been in an abusive relationship for the last 6 years.

I always believed that he was sorry and he would change. Every time I believed him as stupid as that is. I am looking for some advice and will give some context.

He has punched me and kicked me to the ground infront of our 4 / almost 5 year old. Has attacked me whilst holding them. He has also strangled me to the point I thought he might kill me but he let go. My little girl witnessed this from the doorway. He had grabbed the steering wheel whilst driving 70 miles and swerved it multiple times because I was taking him home and didn’t want to be around him anymore.
He also uploaded a video of us having sex without my permission to sex / dating site. I have proof and a phone recording of him admitting this and apologising.

He has ripped off the car sun shade visor in anger and thrown it in the car it hit our little girl by accident. She still remembers this now.

He also put our daughter in the bath when she was too young to get herself up because I told him she need a bath seat. He shut the door on purpose and left her in the bath for 10 seconds to see me scared to prove that she will be fine without a seat. It was a deep bath and I was worried if she fell back she couldn’t get herself back up. I cried snd grabbed the foot but he wouldn’t let me open it. I think he just wanted to see me panic.

I admit I stayed with him because I believed that he was really sorry but the abuse always continues I see now.

I started to take photos of my bruises and black eyes. I took a screen shot of my video and kept the recording of him admitting it as I had wanted to go to the police but was too scared to do it and didn’t feel strong enough.

His mum knew everything that he did , she told him it was wrong and she told me to leave him she said that if I wanted to press charges she would understand but I never could do it and she then thanked me for not going to the police on all the times that I could have.

I don’t want him to have any contact with our children and he doesn’t want to anyway. He isn’t on the birth certicaye if one cos he was in jail.

I am no worried about the safety of my children if something were to happen to me. I wouldn’t want them in his care. He had been in jail before for drug dealing. This has pushed me to build up the strength to go to the police. However I feel so much guilt. I feel guilty towards his mum as she believes he should still get to see our boys despite the fact he has attacked me infront of then numerous times.

I have had social services involved in the past because of all this the neighbours always called the police and I had to call them sometimes.

I just wondered if I am a bad person if I decide to press charges. Now we are not together and haven’t been for a long time I am worried that it isn’t in record just how bad the abuse was because I never told the police this or the social workers. I told them it was just an argument. I feel like I might be ready to tell the truth but I have so much guilt and worry his mum will be so upset with me.

I would really appreciate any advice.

OP posts:
Pinkflowersxo · 08/07/2024 09:45

Pinkflowersxo · 08/07/2024 09:43

Thank you so much. What a wonderful thing it is to have support online like this from people I don’t even know. I did block his mother , I blocked all his numbers the police released him on bail until court a part of his bail conditions were to not contact me. As soon as he got out he called me 17 times messaging me I would block , he would email. Last night he called 70 times from a withheld number I answered one.

saying he would never put me in jail no matter what I did, I told him I would never ever do the things he's done to me, he just kept saying he'll go and do the anger management courses now he'll go to another country so he's out of my space whilst he's working in himself then come back when he's completed it all. Funny because he never did ANY of this until he was facing jail time. I feel guilty because the last violence was exactly a year ago and then a few times the year before then during Covid it was horrific. But I know that the only reason there's been no violence in this last year is because we stopped living together, I would only see him once a week as he worked in another city and he was able to cheat and do what he wanted and l'd be non the the wiser. Not to mention him uploading those videos of us having sex last year since all the violence. I feel if he was really sorry he would turn himself in and pay for what he's done and take any help in there that they offer him xxxx

I did tell the police he breached his bail they have been looking to arrest since Saturday but seems he’s in hiding. He just seems so sorry , promising he’ll do all the things I asked every time for all these years such as counselling and anger management x

OP posts:
Purpleday1 · 08/07/2024 09:46

Please call the police and tell them he has been harassing you and breaking his bail conditions by calling you.
Do not keep quiet about this.
You are amazing and you can do this.

Mapsosskak · 08/07/2024 09:46

@Pinkflowersxo you have to stop talking to him because he could use this against you in court please be careful now and take warning in what myself and others are telling you. Don’t answer the phone and show the police the logs because he’s coercing you into dropping. The charges and it’s a crime to do this, if you tell the police today what he’s done with contacting. You this will go in your favour for court. Please please be careful and please reach out to woman’s aid or another support organisation that can assist you in the next steps so you can definitely push ahead with the court case.

XChrome · 09/07/2024 02:44

Pinkflowersxo · 08/07/2024 09:45

I did tell the police he breached his bail they have been looking to arrest since Saturday but seems he’s in hiding. He just seems so sorry , promising he’ll do all the things I asked every time for all these years such as counselling and anger management x

Sweetie he is not sorry. He's manipulating you. Why are you even talking to him? He tried to kill you. He doesn't get to talk to you.
Anger management and counselling rarely change domestic abusers. Get the book Why Does He Do That by Lundy Bancroft. He is a therapist who has extensively treated domestic abusers. He says only a tiny percentage ever change even with the best of treatment. He says they don't have anger management problems, because they can typically keep their anger in check with people other than their spouse.
Best of luck to you in getting rid of this psycho. 🩷

Pinkflowersxo · 09/07/2024 10:02

XChrome · 09/07/2024 02:44

Sweetie he is not sorry. He's manipulating you. Why are you even talking to him? He tried to kill you. He doesn't get to talk to you.
Anger management and counselling rarely change domestic abusers. Get the book Why Does He Do That by Lundy Bancroft. He is a therapist who has extensively treated domestic abusers. He says only a tiny percentage ever change even with the best of treatment. He says they don't have anger management problems, because they can typically keep their anger in check with people other than their spouse.
Best of luck to you in getting rid of this psycho. 🩷

Thank you so much. I actually just ordered this book after you recommended it. I really need this right now I am currently feeling so guilty and sad but trying to bring myself to reality. Without even reading the book and just going by what you said if the therapist said only a small percentage of men change with the best treatment, my ex hasn’t done any kind of counselling or therapy, just claims this situation has made him realise. X

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