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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

I need wise mumsnetters to help with this awful situation (TRIGGER WARNING abuse of my best friend)

36 replies

Mybestfriendsproblem · 08/11/2025 09:29

This is rather long and complex but I will try and keep it brief and to the point but I'm sure I will leave important parts out but it won't be in purpose as this spans almost 30 years.
I have had my best friend in my life for almost 50 years we have done everything together, I will call her Jane, she is just a lovely person who has no malice in her, children love her and gather round her at parties and she is not a person who wants a lavish lifestyle as she is just happy with what she has.

Anyway she met Mike my husbands friend and they hit it off and quickly became a couple, they married after 3 years of dating and sitting those first 3 years Mike got a warning from his work for sexual harrasment, he fobbed Jane off saying well it's my personality you know what I'm like, and to be honest he is very over friendly with everyone.
Then Jane got pregnant and had their child and when the child was a toddler Jane found messages on Mike's phone from a work customer and they were inappropriate but yet again he said nothing was going on,

Mike was ignoring his family duties at that time and was out a lot and a work colleague of his used to pop round in the evening to exchange items for work that had to go to different branches and as they lived close by it was easier to be done at home, soon an affair began between Jane and Andrew (the work colleague)
It had only been going on a month or so before Mike found out by going through Jane's phone, this was 19 years ago, Mike threw her and their child out and attacked Andrew, basically all he'll broke lose,

Oh this was the second time he threw her out the first time was about 2 years after they got married around the time of the sexual harassment would of taken place.
Anyway once he calmed down Mike said he would forgive Jane if she told him everything and she did,

We thought that they had got over it but about 5 years ago Jane said that Mike has constantly brought up the affair and constantly shouts at her for it and belittles her.

Mike had to give up work around 10 years ago due to an accident he had at work so it's only Jane that now works, their child has moved away from home.

So recently Mike and Jane came round for a coffee and Jane burst into tears and she confessed that she feels so down and feels suicidal, Mike then shouts at her saying g that she should after what she has put him through and it's all about her, and she said no more,
A week of so after this Mike came round on his own as he had to get away from Jane and he told us that he had pinned her up against the wall by her throat and if he had wanted to he could of squeezed the life out of her and she was lucky that he didn't, me and my dh just sat there opened mouthed as their was no remorse he wasn't even sorry for what he had done. We told him that he needed to leave her as its so wrong.

He has been a complete arsehole to her for almost 20 years, as for the past few months Jane has been opening up to us and we are shocked at how evil he is.

A few weeks ago Jane asked to come round and she said she had to get out as he won't shut up about the past again and that she is going to leave him she just feels guilty as she also cares for him, anyway we had all had a drink and a bit more than tipsy and a long time mutual friend phoned and I put him on loudspeaker so we could all chat, but I forgot to say Jane was present before I said to him that Jane has finally had enough and she is leaving Mike, this friend said "well i guess now is a good time that I can get this off my chest" and he tells us all about the affairs Mike has had that predated even their wedding and another that resulted in a birthday of a child (Jane didn't hear about the child bit as by this point she was raging with anger)

Jane stayed the night at our house then went to her dad's the next morning and told him everything, he has offered to pay for the divorce and other things but Jane has refused.

Jane waited a few days before she told Mike she knew he was unfaithful even though all this time he has called her a filthy skank cunt and that he could never do that to her! He said it was only one time he wore a condom and never came ( like that's ok then!)

Jane has contacted the local council about her house and she is the Tennant but he is only listed as living there so the council can't remove him she will have to either go to court or wait until he does something again and call the police.

A few things we are concerned about, she won't call the police about his past behaviour of violence.
He has illegal weapons in the house and we now know he has a violent streak
He is financially abusing her as all her wages goes on the bills and they get universal credit top up that she has to give 50% of to him as that's his money and the rest goes towards the rest of the bills and food shopping, he has also in the past week taken her credit card and spent almost 1K on it, he also gets the highest rate of pip that's his money, so she has no money for herself at all.
He is blaming all this on her and he is still the victim
He has stated self harming stating that she makes him do it then makes sure people can see what he has done.

Dh and myself have not spoken to him since all this came out as he disgusts us, but how can we help Jane as we have been lucky enough to have never encountered this in our lives before only from what we have read on here.

Oh I have been on here for years mnhq can vouchers for that if needed

OP posts:
Mybestfriendsproblem · 08/11/2025 09:35

Sorry about all the errors I'm on my phone and the cat is on my lap so I can't reach my glasses.

OP posts:
EnoughNowImDone · 08/11/2025 09:41

He sounds like a dangerous man. What sort of weapons has he got in the house? If he has any guns/crossbow type weapons then you need to report him to the police as he is a risk to the wider public as well as Jane.

In fact, I would report him to the police for domestic abuse and the weapons. And report what he has told you about non-fatal strangulation. I think that she is at high risk of being killed by him as she is trying to leave.

WhereDidSummerGoAgain · 08/11/2025 09:41

Jane needs some help from professionals, alongside the support you are giving her as friends.

Find out what your local Domestic Violence service is and get their number and give it to her.

You can ring them up ahead of time if you like and ask them what they can offer and when she should call.

WhereDidSummerGoAgain · 08/11/2025 09:43

EnoughNowImDone · 08/11/2025 09:41

He sounds like a dangerous man. What sort of weapons has he got in the house? If he has any guns/crossbow type weapons then you need to report him to the police as he is a risk to the wider public as well as Jane.

In fact, I would report him to the police for domestic abuse and the weapons. And report what he has told you about non-fatal strangulation. I think that she is at high risk of being killed by him as she is trying to leave.

Yes, she is definitely at high risk from him.

As you say, strangulation is a high risk for murder, and she should tell the DV service about this as they will assess her as the highest level of risk and advise her accordingly.

Mybestfriendsproblem · 08/11/2025 09:47

WhereDidSummerGoAgain · 08/11/2025 09:41

Jane needs some help from professionals, alongside the support you are giving her as friends.

Find out what your local Domestic Violence service is and get their number and give it to her.

You can ring them up ahead of time if you like and ask them what they can offer and when she should call.

That brilliant thank you.
He has flick knives, buttons, an air pistol and something called a cosh? And other small weapons purely for his own protection of course

OP posts:
Mybestfriendsproblem · 08/11/2025 09:47

That brilliant thank you.
He has flick knives, buttons, an air pistol and something called a cosh? And other small weapons purely for his own protection of course

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NOTANUM · 08/11/2025 09:48

This is terrifying. I can only hope there’s someone who can advise but your poor friend.

WhereDidSummerGoAgain · 08/11/2025 09:50

I'm not sure reporting him to the police yourself, without her agreement is the best step forward.

She needs to be ready for this step, as she needs to be willing to tell the police what he's done.

If she's not ready to tell the police what happens and instead covers for him, then all it might achieve is angering the husband, putting her at further risk and potentially cutting you off as a source of support as she may not trust you anymore and/or he might stop her from seeing you.

I would speak to the DV service yourself and take their advice on this.

NormasArse · 08/11/2025 09:51

Go to the police with the information that he has previously talked about strangling her; he has weapons, and that he is abusive toward her.

I suspect they will take this seriously.

Just saw the answer above mine. Speak to Jane- get other friends involved if necessary- she needs to know she has support in this.

Mybestfriendsproblem · 08/11/2025 09:53

That was quick and easy, I found out local domestic abuse website and sent her the link.
Sending the link took longer as we are having to discuss this sort of thing through instragram messages and keeping WhatsApp to our normal chatter as he goes through her phone ( thanks mumsnetters for that 😀 handy hint)

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NET145 · 08/11/2025 09:56

Let Jane stay with you for as long as she needs to, to escape and get herself set up away from that man. She will really need your practical help to get herself sorted

ConfusedNoMore · 08/11/2025 09:56

Your friend needs to be very careful. I would get another phone and keep it stashed somewhere on silent, like at work.

Be careful what you are sending to her.

These men are usually most dangerous when women are leaving them.

Jane needs to speak to women's aid.

She should pack a small bag of essentials with her documents and essentials in it in case she needs to leave in a hurry. She would need to keep this somewhere safe.

Zanatdy · 08/11/2025 09:57

She needs to get away from him asap. Please encourage her to report him to the police and get him removed from the house. This is a very vulnerable time and hate to say it, but with weapons etc, he could kill her.

Mybestfriendsproblem · 08/11/2025 10:00

He has alienated her from her other friends but I have reconnected her as neither of them did social media as he doesn't like it and now we know why, so she has a few other friends now and they are all aware of what is happening, I'm amazed she has opened up to everyone, he hasn't begged or pleaded for her to give him another chance, he did pretend to cry and she said she was tempted to give it another go then until see saw no tears, he did say to her yesterday " can I stay if I change" she said NO as she knows that change won't last long.
I have told Jane when she is ready for the police i will go with her only if she wants me to, she said she does so I think it will happen she just needs to be ready as this is the first time she has stood up for herself.

OP posts:
DarkEyedSailor · 08/11/2025 10:00

Women's Aid- they're amazing, I've been in one of their refuges. Could she call them from your house? Could you keep a bag of essentials for her in case she can't get things together without him knowing?

If Jane wants to know anything about being in a refuge please know you can message me any time.

DiscoBob · 08/11/2025 10:02

You should tell the police. Could she stay at yours for a month while housing gets settled? (I wouldn't actually tell the council or they might say she's living with you permanently as far as they're concerned so have no duty to house her)

Mybestfriendsproblem · 08/11/2025 10:04

Thank you, she is moving documents and small sentimental items out of the house and taking them to her dad's, Mike hates her dad and is constantly telling her how manipulative her dad is to her, in fact her dad is so lovely and he would do anything for Jane.

OP posts:
incognitomummy · 08/11/2025 10:04

report the violence he has told you about and she has told you and that you have witnessed - to the police yourself. So it is on record.

and just be there. It’s hard to leave an abuser.
and the most dangerous moment.

he clearly doesn’t care that his friends know he is an abuser either. Which is a worrying fact pattern.

but yes. She needs to get away urgently. And she needs to speak to her kid so they get her narrative. Not his.

SandStormNorm · 08/11/2025 10:05

As others said, she needs to leave. It is a toxic situation. She also needs to make sure all her social media and other contacts do not reveal her whereabouts. She can report ex-husband to police for further domestic violence upon leaving the home, and obtain copies of any police records as a data protection request (she may need them for divorce proceedings or civil claims). She can put her post on divert at the royal mail, and if I was her I would change my name by deed poll. It sounds like this man has deep rooted resentment and anger that will persist post-divorce. Be aware that if she visits your home, he maybe watching and following her. A solicitor could seek an injunction to prevent him coming near her, and she needs to report these matters to the GP so there is a record on her file about the domestic violence. Women's aid can give you further advice.

Mybestfriendsproblem · 08/11/2025 10:07

DiscoBob · 08/11/2025 10:02

You should tell the police. Could she stay at yours for a month while housing gets settled? (I wouldn't actually tell the council or they might say she's living with you permanently as far as they're concerned so have no duty to house her)

The house she is in is under her name, so she has to get him to leave and the only 3 ways we know of are

  1. He leaves of his own free will
  2. She goes to court to get him to go
  3. She has him arrested
OP posts:
parietal · 08/11/2025 10:08

She is not safe to stay in the house with him. She needs to stay at yours or walk into the police station and tell them about his threats and the strangulation and the weapons. But she should not remain in that house.

Mybestfriendsproblem · 08/11/2025 10:12

parietal · 08/11/2025 10:08

She is not safe to stay in the house with him. She needs to stay at yours or walk into the police station and tell them about his threats and the strangulation and the weapons. But she should not remain in that house.

I would drive her there now if I could as I'm so worried about her, I'm going to show her this thread, I know she no longer loves him after all the years of abuse but she still cares for him and wouldn't want to see him in any distress as its not in her nature as I said she is just the most lovely person you could ever meet.
My heart breaks for her

OP posts:
Mybestfriendsproblem · 08/11/2025 10:17

We had a lovely evening last night as i had the family round and Jane as she is chosen family, Mike messages her within minutes of her arriving basically saying he was going to lock her out.
Obviously we all joked about what she should reply but in fairness it's no bloody joke, she has told him they are over and he is still controlling her movements, my son drove her home and I'm sure he would of accused her of inappropriate behaviour with him, that will repluse her as she is their aunty.

OP posts:
ConfusedNoMore · 08/11/2025 10:36

SandStormNorm · 08/11/2025 10:05

As others said, she needs to leave. It is a toxic situation. She also needs to make sure all her social media and other contacts do not reveal her whereabouts. She can report ex-husband to police for further domestic violence upon leaving the home, and obtain copies of any police records as a data protection request (she may need them for divorce proceedings or civil claims). She can put her post on divert at the royal mail, and if I was her I would change my name by deed poll. It sounds like this man has deep rooted resentment and anger that will persist post-divorce. Be aware that if she visits your home, he maybe watching and following her. A solicitor could seek an injunction to prevent him coming near her, and she needs to report these matters to the GP so there is a record on her file about the domestic violence. Women's aid can give you further advice.

Yes paper trial is very important. She needs evidence of DV to get legal aid in future proceedings

ConfusedNoMore · 08/11/2025 10:37

Mybestfriendsproblem · 08/11/2025 10:12

I would drive her there now if I could as I'm so worried about her, I'm going to show her this thread, I know she no longer loves him after all the years of abuse but she still cares for him and wouldn't want to see him in any distress as its not in her nature as I said she is just the most lovely person you could ever meet.
My heart breaks for her

That's kind of Stockholm syndrome tbh. I felt like that - i was really worried about him. Seems bizarre now.