Crime Stories Archives | Sell My Story

Raise awareness of an important issue – Share your Story

October 1, 2018 by Sell My Story

Do you have a story to tell to raise awareness of an important issue? Please get in touch with us.

Celebrity bodyguard Ricky, 27, was stabbed in the leg on his own doorstep when he tried to stop his brother’s scooter from being stolen.

His mum Suzanne was forced to gather her family at hospital to say goodbye to her son.

Two years on – and after his killer was jailed – she bravely spoke out. We helped Suzanne tell her story, and share a final photo of him in hospital, in a bid to stop young men carrying knives.

Sell My Story

How to Sell My Story: Simply fill out the form on this page to sell a story. Tell us the main points of your story and we’ll get back to you if it’s something we can place in a national magazine or newspaper for you. We’ll pay you (or a charity of your choice) for sharing your story. We pay the highest rates for newsworthy stories, videos or photos.

How to raise awareness of an important issue

One of the ways that Suzanne has faced her grief is by throwing herself into campaigning and raising awareness about knife crime.

As well as holding demonstrations and attending and speaking at residents and community meetings they have been lobbying UK shops that stock knives to do so more responsibly.

Suzanne is currently planning to go into schools to speak about her experiences. She wants to highlight to young people just how devastating knife crime can be.

We can help you raise awareness of an important issue

Our reporter Hattie secured Suzanne an exclusive in the Star on Sunday. Subsequently we arranged further coverage in The Daily Telegraph, The Daily Express and the Daily Mirror.

We hope that Suzanne’s important message reaches as many people as possible.

Contact us to raise awareness of an important issue

If you have an important story to tell, then we’d like to hear from you.

We can help you tell your story in your own words, and help you share it with a wide audience.

Our professional reporters will listen to all your concerns and help you every step of the way. Whats more, we guarantee the highest payments to you or a charity of your choice.

How to Sell My Story: Simply fill out the form on this page to sell a story. Tell us the main points of your story and we’ll get back to you if it’s something we can place in a national magazine or newspaper for you. We’ll pay you (or a charity of your choice) for sharing your story. We pay the highest rates for newsworthy stories, videos or photos.

I’m a paedophile hunter | Sell My Story

February 22, 2018 by Harriet Rose-Gale

Mum-of-two Cheyenne O’Connor contacted SellUsYourStory.com to share her story. Cheyenne became a paedophile hunter after feeling let down by the justice system.

SellUsYourStory.com is part of SWNS, the largest independent press agency in the UK. We guarantee the highest story payments and can help you turn your experiences into cash.

Fill out the Story Valuation form on this page and tell us a little about your story. We’ll let you know if we can help. Our service is free, and there is no obligation.

Why I became a paedophile hunter

A female paedophile hunter has vowed to continue her campaign to ‘clean-up’ her community after trapping her latest predator – by posing as a gay schoolboy.

Mum-of-two Cheyenne O’Connor, 24, launched her one-woman campaign as she felt victims were being let down by the justice system in Jersey.

Last year, UK newspaper The London Economic exposed the failings of the justice system in Jersey when it discovered that child abusers were still at large following the Jersey child abuse scandal a few years earlier.

Her actions have already led to three paedophiles being convicted – the latest of which was Joao Gomes.

Gomes, 27, was jailed for six months after he admitted trying to arrange a late-night meeting with the boy for a sexual encounter. He was caught by the actions of Miss O’Connor, who was back in court in Jersey to watch him jailed.

How Cheyenne operated as paedophile hunter

Miss O’Connor had posed as a 14-year-old boy on the gay dating website Grindr to snare him.

The court heard that Gomes thought he was meeting a boy called John outside a coffee shop in Jersey at 11pm on 30th November. However, what he found was Miss O’Connor waiting for him in a car and she took his picture before he ran off.

The court’s legal adviser Susie Sharpe explained that the previous night Gomes had tried to persuade the ‘boy’ to come to his friend’s flat, where he and a friend were drinking.

Gomes sent a number of messages of a sexual nature that continued until 2 am. He also sent pictures and a picture of the ‘boy’ was sent to him.

He pleaded guilty to attempting to meet a child aged 14 following sexual grooming. Furthermore he was put on the Sexual Offenders Register for five years.

Catching paedophile’s through social media

Ms Sharpe said that contact began after the creation of the profile on Grindr on Sunday 26 November and went on until 30 November. The defendant provided a mobile phone number for them to chat on WhatsApp.

During the messaging, Gomes was told that the young male was only 14 the previous month.

‘He was asked if he minded that the boy was so young and he said “No”.’

Gomes also suggested that the 14-year-old could stay at his home.

During the communication over the four days, Miss Sharpe said, Gomes was clearly indicating that he wanted to engage sexually. She said: “Despite being advised that John was 14 in all of the messages, he said that he wanted to continue communicating with him.”

Advocate Niall MacDonald, defending, said there was no evidence Gomes had ever before tried to communicate with an under-age person. In addition he argued that the conversation was promoted out of “dangerous curiosity.”

“He was quick to convey his remorse and guilt in police interview.”

Miss O’Connor welcomed his jail sentence and said afterwards she was determined to carry on catching child sex offenders as no-one else in Jersey was doing enough to stop them.

Miss O’Connor’s paedophile hunter record

Her actions have previously seen Jason Sutton, 48, of Jersey, jailed for ten months last year after he was caught by Miss O’Connor trying to meet a teenage boy for sex.

A few months earlier she posed online as a teenage girl to catch another sex offender on the island. As a result, this led to a 19-year-old youth being sentenced to 180 hours’ community service. He admitted attempting to groom a teenage ‘girl’.

She said: “I have now had three sentenced so far. One being sentenced on the 16 February. One that was remanded in prison yesterday also for a plea hearing on the 8 February. Finally, one who is currently pending with the police to charge.

“I thought the publicity would make a few think twice about contacting me but it seems to have just got worse, nothing will stop them.”

Miss O’Connor has now vowed to continue her mission to rid the Channel Island of paedophiles, continuing to operate as a paedophile hunter.

She added: “Child abuse is a massive issue in Jersey and there is no-one else doing this but me. I decided to carry on based on how rubbish our justice system was. In addition, how many victims were being let down. The justice system is shocking when it comes to this.”

Share your story

We negotiated an exclusive deal to publish Miss O’Connor’s story Pick Me Up magazine, as well as several national newspapers.

If you have a story that you think would make an interesting magazine or newspaper article, we want to hear from you.

Simply fill out the Sell My Story form on this page. Tell us just a little about your story, and one of our friendly team will get back to you. Our trained writers will let you know what your story could be worth (based on recent sales of similar stories).

They will also walk you through the process, making selling your story as easy and simple as possible.

Find out more about how to Sell a Story to a Magazine or Newspaper, or find other ways of contacting us here. We work closely with every major newspaper and magazine, as well as TV shows like This Morning and Good Morning Britain.

Expose a rapist in the press

April 4, 2017 by Jamie Mountain

Would you like to expose a rapist in the press?

If you would like to expose a rapist in magazines and newspapers, SellUsYourStory.com provides a free service to help people share their real-life stories with the national press and get paid the highest fee possible. This week we helped Bethany Hazell share the horrific ordeal she suffered at the hands of James Hunt when she was just 15 and 16. We secured an exclusive deal for Bethany’s story.

If you would like to expose a rapist in the press, find more details and how to contact us at the bottom of this page.

Bethany’s Story

A young mum has bravely told how she was repeatedly raped by a boyfriend who boasted he was copying his sex fiend dad – bragging ‘like father like son’.

Terrified Bethany Hazell suffered three sex attacks at the hands of vile James Hunt when she was just 15 and 16 with the second leaving her pregnant.

She said supermarket worker Hunt chillingly told her: “Dad did it so I have done it now.’

Hunt, 21, was jailed for eight years in 2013 for the attacks – and raping another woman – after boasting of his crimes to a pal who was a PCSO.

He followed in the footsteps of his father Neil Hunt, 47, who was jailed for 12 years raping a woman on the street.

He sprang from his car, threw her to the ground and violently raped her before driving home and slipping into bed beside wife Heather.

Hunt’s parents Heather Walker and Neil Hunt

Disturbed

His son, then 12, watched TV reports of the trial at Winchester Crown Court which ended in his dad’s conviction in July 2007.

Bethany, 21, of Cosham, Portsmouth, is now bringing up daughter Teagan-Hope, three, she had as a result of the second rape.

She said: “It looks like he is proud that he is like his dad. It’s like he thinks it’s a cool thing. It just makes me feel so sick. It is disgusting.”

Bethany and Hunt met at a district Scouts camp in 2010 when they were both just 15 but things quickly took a sinister turn.

She recalled: “I felt like I was in love with him – that it was going to be forever – but it was only three or four months into the relationship that things got nasty.

“We were arguing about something – I can’t remember what – and he went to punch me but at the last second he punched the wall directly beside my head.

“I was scared. Warning bells rang but I just really loved him. He apologised and he seemed genuine about it – it was only once and he didn’t actually hit me.”

Boyfriend raped me

Six months into the relationship Hunt committed the first rape when he demanded sex for the first time and she said she wasn’t ready.

He ignored her protests and pinned her down and repeated the crime ten months later.

The third rape happened at her family home when Bethany was 20 weeks pregnant – while her parents were downstairs.

Bethany, who has waived her anonymity, said: “James isn’t bothered by what he’s done. He was like, ‘Oh well, dad did it so I have done it now.’

“He is even using it to flirt with people, in a twisted way.

“I saw a conversation between him and a girl and he said, ‘Oh no, you won’t be interested in me because I’ve done a terrible thing.’

“At the time when it was happening he seemed genuinely remorseful but from his comments now, it looks like he is proud that he is like his dad.”

Constant Fear

Bethany said she lived in constant fear of Hunt’s unpredictable mood swings and violent outbursts.

Bethany Hazell and James Hunt

She said: “I was going to a Christmas party once so he hid the dress I was going to wear so I couldn’t go. Other times he would hide my purse so I couldn’t go out.

“He was quite aggressive some of the time but the rest of the time he could be really nice. He used to get me loads of little presents – things he knew I would like.”

Asked why she did not leave Hunt or go to police, she said: “I felt trapped.

“It was scary at the time but at other times he was fine and everything was good so I tried to make it into less of an issue.

“I think I knew he was a bad person but I made the issue into a smaller thing. I was just very naive.

“I thought, ‘He does love me. He just gets a bit angry sometimes. I probably wind him up.'”

Bethany said Hunt and his father, who had two other children and was separated from his mother, lost contact in October 2006 when he was arrested for a minor crime.

A DNA check linked him to an unsolved rape from 17 years previously and his mother Helen, now 49, later told him the truth about his father.

Hunt and his father have recently got back in touch and now Hunt’s mother – who has forgiven her son – wants them to meet her little girl.

Court Injunction

Heather was recently refused access to Bethany‘s daughter by a court.

Bethany claims Heather has been secretly passing Hunt photos of the little girl and Hunt has written to Bethany from prison cell, begging to see her.

Bethany, who is bringing up her daughter at her parents’ home, said she has suffered from post-natal depression, anxiety and PTSD since her relationship with Hunt.

She said: “I find it difficult to trust people. If someone close to you can do something like this, what can someone who doesn’t know you do?

“It has ruined my life in a way. I had to grow up so quickly.”

Bethany eventually left Hunt in November 2012 when her daughter was a baby because she feared he might turn on the little girl.

PCSO reported Hunt

He was arrested three months later after boasting of his crimes to a PCSO mate who told his superiors.

He was charged with four counts of rape – three against Bethany and one relating to a second girl.

He pleaded guilty and was jailed for eight years at Portsmouth Crown Court in October 2013.

His father had his sentence reduced on appeal to seven years.

The time to expose a rapist in the press

Following Hunt’s conviction, brave Bethany contacted SellUsYourStory.com, part of the largest independent press agency in the UK, to expose her ex-partner in the press. Bethany wanted to warn other women about Hunt in case they face a similar situation. Without brave people like Bethany, magazines and newspapers would find it difficult to raise awareness of rape and sexual violence stories.

How to expose a rapist in the press

If you would like to expose a rapist in the press you can contact us using the Story Valuation form on this page. Nothing will ever be used without your say-so, and there is no obligation.

One of our trained and friendly writers will get back to you to discuss your options and give you an estimate of what your story is worth (based on recent sales of similar stories).

If you are happy to proceed, our team will send your story to every national magazine and newspaper editor to find out who is willing to pay the most for your story. Once offers are on the table, you can decide if you would like to proceed, and which offer you would like to accept. Read more about how to sell a story to the press here.

By using SellUsYourStory.com‘s free service, you can ensure that your story is told your way, and there will be no nasty surprises. We’re here to protect you and ensure your experience is a positive one.

You can also contact us using the number at the top of this page. For more information about contacting us, see the Contact Us Page. If you have a video or photo to sell to the national press, you can visit the Sell Us Your Photo site, or the Sell Us Your Video site.

Sell a nightmare neighbour story to the press

August 17, 2016 by Laura Elvin

Has your life become a misery because of a vindictive neighbour? Do you want to know how to sell a nightmare neighbour story to the press?

SellUsYourStory.com provide a free service to help people share their stories with the national press. If you’d like to sell a nightmare neighbour story to the press to expose your story or help others in a similar situation, get in touch today.

This week Sue and Keith Brookes told us about the months of bizarre harassment they received from neighbour Kathleen Neal after moving into their dream home. If you have a similar story, or any other story you’d like to place in a magazine or newspaper, get in touch today using our Story Valuation page. We’ll let you know how much your story is worth. There is no obligation and we won’t use any of your information until you tell us to go ahead, and you’ll stay in full control of your story.

The nightmare next door neighbour

As we pulled out of my mum’s drive and onto the road, I saw the ‘FOR SALE’ sign in the garden of the house next door. ‘Look Keith, the Boathouse is for sale’ I said to my husband.

Mum had lived in the council house next door all her life, and I’d grown up in the shadow of the beautiful Art Deco house with the flat roof. It was the envy of the village. For as long as I can remember I’d always wanted to live there, but it was so beautiful it was bound to be out of our price range.

‘You should check the estate agent’s website when we get home,’ Keith said. ‘It looks a bit run down.’

Keith was right. There was a lot of work that needed doing to it – the windows, the plumbing, the overgrown garden, the leaky roof… The list went on and on. But all that meant it was in our price range, and as we were thinking of moving closer to mum, and didn’t mind a bit of DIY, we put an offer in.

‘We’ve got to have that house,’ I said to Keith after I’d spoken to the estate agent. Surely enough, our offer was accepted and we moved in in 2002.

The home of Sue and Keith Brookes in Castle Donington.

The bizarre abuse starts

I was running my own care company at the time and Keith had just retired so we were looking forward to starting projects.

With an acre of land and the house plum in the middle of the grounds there was lots to be done, and we wasted no time getting started. We introduced ourselves to the neighbours next door, Mr and Mrs Neal, who’d lived there ever since I was a child. They seemed nice and quiet and were interested in what we had planned.

There were two garages attached to the main house, but one of them was so dilapidated the door was rotting right off its hinges.

When we told the Neals we planned on turning it into an additional living space, with a big window, they looked at me as if I’d said I was going to stage a rock concert in the garden.

‘What do you want to do that for?’ she said.

‘Well,’ I said a bit taken aback. ‘For a bit more living space.’

‘Go ahead. But my husband will object.’

And true to their word, when we submitted the application for building regulations, the Neals objected.

I wrote Mrs Neal a nice letter inviting them round for a cup of tea so we could discuss it. A week later, the letter, torn to pieces, came tumbling through my letterbox.

‘I just don’t understand it, Keith,’ I said, picking up the pieces.

‘Have we done something to upset them?’

‘Like what?’ he said.

He had a point. We hadn’t done anything. We’d only been there a few months and had pretty much kept to ourselves. That night as we curled up on the sofa, thankful the council had over-ruled their objection, the phone rang.

I heard Keith say ‘hello’ over and over again, before hanging up and coming back in the living room. ‘No one there,’ he said. ‘Silence.’ Odd, I thought.

Kathleen Neal (76). A 76-year-old snobby neighbour-from-hell has been slapped with an injunction after she tormented a couple for 12 years - because they lived in a council house. See NTI story NTISNOB. Nightmare neighbour Kathleen Neal started her 12-year campaign of terror against retired Sue, 65, and Keith Brookes, 68, who she told to "get back to their council house". The vindictive pensioner started harassing the married couple in 2002 by lighting up to four bonfires a day and wafting the smoke over their fence. Neal then started clambering through wires and over a 5ft fence to get into the Brookes' back garden where she threw over their wheelie bins. She even covered their plants and lawn with weedkiller which she also sprayed through gaps in the fence from her own property in Castle Donington, Leics. Neal also started making anonymous silent phone calls to the Brookes' landline using an anonymous pay-as-you-go mobile phone over a six-month period last year. Grandparents Sue and Keith complained to their local council and were forced to install CCTV cameras in their garden to gather evidence of their neighbour trespassing in their garden. Neal, who lives in a GBP400,000 detached three-bedroom house, continued the harassment despite warnings from police officers and North West Leicestershire District Council. But the pensioner has now been slapped with a five-year injunction at Derby County Court which makes her harassment a serious criminal offence if it continues.

Neighbour Kathleen Neal

Sinister phone calls

The next day when I arrived home from work, I could hear the phone ringing as I turned the key in the front door. I dumped my bag and raced to the phone picking it up just in time. ‘Hello?’ I said. But there was no answer again.

‘Who is this?’ I said getting panicky. ‘Is there someone there?’ But there was still nothing. Then faintly, in the background, I heard the sound of a plane engine. When I hung up, I could still hear it, and my hair stood up on end.

‘My God, Keith. They must be close by. What if they’re watching us?’ I said.

The phone calls carried on for nearly a year. We always suspected it was the Neals, but we had no way of proving it.

They always seemed to call when we were just getting home, or when Keith was under the sink or up a ladder, making us rush to the phone. Eventually, Keith had to get BT to put a block on the number. When that didn’t work, and the calls kept coming, we had to change our number, which was a pain for my customers.

Sue Brookes of Castle Donington, the victim of a 14 year long campaign of terror by her elderly neighbour.

Smoking us out with bonfires

After we’d properly settled in, we decided to build some decking in the back garden so we’d have somewhere to have brunch on summer days with the grandkids.

Keith was so proud of it and we bought a lovely range of pot plants to decorate it. While we were decided where to put them, Mrs Neal appeared at the fence between our two houses and called me over.

‘You go out a lot,’ she said. ‘That’s all right. But take your dog with you when you go.’ I stood there dumbfounded.

‘Um, we do, most days,’ I said. ‘Is there a problem?’

Our golden retriever, soft as grease. He never barked or caused a fuss, and he never went to the loo anywhere but his own garden, which we were methodical about cleaning up.

‘Are you calling me a liar?’ she said. I didn’t want to upset her, but I couldn’t think of anything else to say. She wasn’t right. We took our dog everywhere. ‘Well, I guess I am,’ I said.

Mrs Neal’s face dropped. She huffed, turned on her heels and stomped back to her house. I gave Keith a look when I got back to the deck, as if to say, ‘not 100% that one’ and tried to forget about it.

CCTV capturing wildlife

That weekend we installed a CCTV camera to see if we could capture some of the wildlife that came into the garden. I was hoping to catch a fox or two sniffing around the bins.

The home of evil neighbour Kathleen Neal in Castle Donington.

But when I played the video back, it turned out I’d captured a far craftier creature. Mrs Neal had climbed into the garden and was moving my pots about! But the oddest thing about the whole incident was when she turned to the house and started pulling faces. It was so comical I couldn’t help but laugh. But I was also worried that she might injure herself climbing into our garden.

I sent her a letter advising her to be careful when she next climbed the 5ft high fence, but the letter, like the other one, was torn up and posted back to me. Then the bonfires started.

After we’d been at the Boathouse for a couple of years we started noticing that the Neals loved having a bonfire. Each time we went out in to the garden for a glass of wine or to hang out some washing, the smoke from their fire would come billowing over the fence. It would only happen when we went outside. And it wasn’t that she was burning anything in particular.

‘She’s just burning wet grass,’ I said to Keith. ‘She’s trying to make as much smoke as possible.’

One day I saw her from my bedroom window pouring paraffin on a big pile of sodden grass to fan the flames, and then wafting it in the direction of our house with a big piece of card. She was laughing maniacally, like a crazy woman.

Keith got in touch with the environmental department at the council.

‘It’s not a crime to have a bonfire,’ they said. ‘But surely it’s anti-social to have one every time, and only when, we’re in the garden!’ Keith said. ‘They’re ruining our retirement!’ We made a record of each time she did it, going on for years.

Nightmare neighbour Kathleen Neal started her 12-year campaign of terror against retired Sue, 65, and Keith Brookes, 68, who she told to “get back to their council house”.

Poisoning our plants and following us…

We also kept a record of every time she vandalised our plants by pouring weed killer on the lovely arrangements I made. And every time she threw bricks at the house or climbed into the garden with sheers to cut branches off our trees.

We kept a record of every time she watched me from her bedroom window, or came out on the road to follow me next door to my mum’s house.

‘Let me walk you home,’ my 90-year-old mother said. ‘I’ll be fine,’ I said. ‘She’s a 70-year-old woman. What the worst she can do?’ But I shuddered at the thought of her appearing on the road in the dark, which she often did. I had to get Keith to walk me home to our house on Park lane, Castle Donington, Derbys.

On one occasion, she even followed me in the car as I went to aqua-aerobics with my friend Val Morgan, 57. ‘Maybe she’s just going the same way as us,’ Val said. But when I turned into a random dead end and Mrs Neal’s car followed me, I knew for certain she was following us.

One day she must have heard me in the garden and screamed at me over the fence: ‘Get back to your council house where you belong,’ she said. ‘We don’t want your sort around here!’

Kathleen Neal

Get back to your council house where you belong

Then the phone calls started again. We’d put in a request for a protection order for a tree in our front garden, fearful Mrs Neal would chop it down as she had threatened to do in the past. But the council had made our number public online.

That night the anonymous calls started coming thick and fast. We begged the local bobby to help us. We knew it was them but we just couldn’t prove it.

‘We’ll trace the number through the phone company,’ he said, reassuring us that we weren’t alone.

Months went by of almost daily silent calls, when the local bobby popped in for a cup of tea. ‘Caught her bang to rights,’ he said.

‘We got the number from the phone company and dropped by Mrs Neal’s for a chat. My sergeant rang the number that had been calling you, and you’ll never guess what? ‘It rang in her pocket.’

Mrs Neal had tried to scuttle out of the room but the officers confiscated the phone. We couldn’t believe it. Finally we had enough evidence against her for it to go to court.

We submitted all the records we’d meticulously made, and along with the statement from the police, the judge at Derby Crown Court gave the Neals a five-year injunction banning them from harassing us or anyone else.

It’s such a relief. The injunction feels like a massive insurance policy. We love our house and want to enjoy our lives here but so far our retirement has been spoilt.

We’ve been persecuted for over a decade and have been made to feel like prisoners in our own home. We just hope the injunction will make her stop so we can move on with our lives.

Sell a nightmare neighbour story to Sue and Keith’s

If you would like to sell a nightmare neighbour story, or any other story you’d like to place in a magazine or newspaper, get in touch today using our Story Valuation page (or contact us in other ways here). One of our trained writers will get back to you to let you know how much your story is worth. In general, if you would like sell a nightmare neighbour story, there will need to be a conviction or court order against your nightmare neighbour so we are legally allowed to name and shame them.

There is no obligation and we won’t use any of your information until you tell us to go ahead, everything you send us is confidential until you tell us otherwise. You’ll stay in full control of your story – your story told your way.

For more information about the story selling process, see the Sell My Story page.

If you have a story to sell that isn’t a nightmare neighbour story, we’d still love to hear from you. We provide up to 20% of daily print news content and are always on the hunt for breaking news stories and magazine features. Read our information page about how to sell a story to the press here: https://www.sellusyourstory.com/sell-my-story/

Cowardly domestic abuser tormented partner from inside prison

July 12, 2016 by Laura Elvin

SellUsYourStory.com helps hundreds of people share their stories who want to help those in a similar situation. Brave Laura shared her story about the domestic abuser who haunted her from behind bars.

Laura tells of her obsessed domestic abuser ex who nutted her, split her lip, disfigured her face with a metal grinder, stabbed her in the leg with a biro, and then taunted her from jail with ‘love letters’ saying ‘I’ll never give you up’.

When Daniel messaged Laura through Facebook saying, ‘You’re a little darling aren’t you?’ she was immediately smitten. He was nice looking, a charmer, and Laura loved the attention. After a few weeks chatting online the pair decided to meet in the flesh.

They met each other at a neutral train station, bought a few drinks and headed back to Laura’s to get to know each other some more. Alarm bells should have rung for Laura when, after a few drinks, Daniel accused her of sending his brothers Facebook messages. She brushed it off as first-date jitters and they spent a happy weekend together.

A few days later, when she saw him again, he said his brother’s house, where he’d been living, had had the gas and electric cut off. She invited him in, and allowed him to stay.

Laura Duncan, and Daniel Bell in the early days of their relationship, 2014, at South Shields beach

Laura , and Daniel in the early days of their relationship, 2014, at South Shields beach

Slowly but surely, as the bags of clothes and toiletries kept coming, Daniel moved himself in. There was nothing Laura could do about it. She’d go to work of a morning and when she’d come back in the evening, he was still there, frequently exactly where she’d left him, on the couch watching TV with a can.

She didn’t mind too much. When he was sober, he was lovely. She decided to introduce him to her friends. But that night everything changed. Daniel flipped after he accused Laura of messaging his brothers again.

With eyes that seemed black with rage, he grabbed Laura, pushed his face into hers and threatened her. Appalled, Laura’s friends called the police who arrested him and took him across town before letting him go.

Laura , and Daniel in the early days of their relationship, 2014, at South Shields beach

Laura went to bed, but got up in the night to go to the loo, but she found Daniel curled up on her sofa. He had found his way back, and broken in. She left him to sleep, afraid he was still overcome with rage.

In the morning, he apologised and convinced Laura to forgive him. A few weeks later, they went out for a meal, which Daniel paid for, but with Laura’s money. When they got home, he flipped again. Laura accused him of taking drugs.

She knew, as a drug and alcohol harm reduction specialist, what the signs were, and Daniel was showing them. Out of nowhere, he lunged at Laura, head-butting her in the face. There was blood everywhere, splattered up the wall, on the ceiling.

An image showing the extent of Laura’s injuries including a black eye, scratch marks to her neck, a bruised chin, a gash to the head after Bell slammed her head into an overhead cabinet, a

The force of the assault sent Laura’s teeth through her top lip, and even chipped her front tooth. She could put her finger through the hole in her lip.

It was the start of many assaults that Laura would suffer over the next few months. But each time Daniel would convince her to forgive him. She was left feeling emotionally trapped.

Daniel’s paranoia, however, was always present. He was always accusing her of speaking to his brothers behind his back. He even thought she’d hidden a device in a stuffed toy to record him, and sell it to his brothers.

A police injury picture submitted as evidence to the court

A police injury picture of Laura submitted as evidence to the court

Laura kicked him out more times than she can remember, but he always returned, hat in hand, and Laura always took him back. She was scared of what he might do if she really did break it off.

But then Daniel attacked her with a metal grinder, driving it into her face, puncturing her cheek. He fled, as he always did, and Laura went outside to check he wasn’t lurking on the neighbour’s porch, or in the bushes, before calling police.

He was, and he jumped out and assaulted her again, punching her in the face, knocking her to the floor, giving her a concussion.

Daniel was jailed for four months, from April to July 2015 for assault, battery, criminal damage and breach of a restraining order. But while he was inside, he bombarded Laura with love letters, tormenting her with promises he ‘wouldn’t give up on her’.

Laura couldn’t see an end to the drama and his campaign of pestering her, and was left scarred and frightened.

When Daniel was released, he ‘bumped’ into Laura, and she was too frightened to refuse his invitation to dinner. Desperate to get away, she played along with it, constantly looking for a way out.

Bravely, she told him that after what he’d done to her she’d never look at him as a boyfriend ever again. But in a bitter act of revenge, Daniel subjected Laura to a sickening assault that left her needing hospital treatment.

He blocked her exit, began pushing her back into the living room. He threw Laura’s phone out on the fire escape. He grabbed her hair and slammed her face into cabinets, threw her against walls, and shattered a glass table and stabbed her with a shard.

As Laura was bleeding profusely, Daniel fled the scene, only to be captured later that night, hiding in a wardrobe of the same room. He’d come back to clean up the evidence and been disturbed during the process.

He was arrested and remanded, but still continued to send letters to Laura, speaking of his ‘undying love and affection’.

Laura has been left shaking and terrified. Daniel has tried every way possible to get in touch with her, and with his release imminent, she has been forced to leave town and find somewhere else to live.

Laura wanted to share her story to help those in a similar situation and warn others about serial domestic abuser Daniel. If you have a similar story, or you’d like to sell any other story to the national press, contact us today. SellUsYourStory.com is part of the largest independent national press agency in the UK. Our experienced, sensitive and trained writers will help you tell your story, your way, and get you the highest payment for it.

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