'Help people fleeing domestic violence', knife victim urges

BBC News

18-06-2025

A woman found fighting for her life in a country lane after her ex-husband tried to kill her has called for more support for people leaving violent relationships.Rhiannon Creak, 43, has suffered "horrible flashbacks and terrible nightmares" since being attacked by former Army major Jonathan Creak, who is waiting to be sentenced for attempted murder.She said more support was needed for those separating from abusive partners and added more information on obtaining protective court orders could be "very useful".The Ministry of Justice, which oversees the courts, has been contacted for comment.
Creak, 50, was found guilty of attempted murder after Norwich Crown Court heard he drove more than 100 miles (160km) from his home in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, to attack his ex-wife in Hardwick, near Long Stratton, Norfolk, in July last year.He is due to be sentenced on 25 July.Ms Creak told the BBC how Creak had laughed as he chased her and started "slashing" at her neck.She was found fighting for her life on a country lane with serious injuries to her neck, breast and torso.Ms Creak also suffered nerve damage, meaning she cannot fully use her right arm."I have PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and horrible flashbacks and terrible nightmares, and I haven't really slept more than few hours a day since," she said.
'Aggressive moments'
She was married to Creak for 10 years, and described their relationship as "confusing"."There were some very lovely moments, but also some really quite aggressive times," she said.The couple split up in 2018, but did not divorce until 2022. Ms Creak said that during the relationship, Creak never physically attacked her, but would react angrily to "benign incidents.""Small actions would turn into quite aggressive moments. Everything just felt very disproportional," she said.
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She urged anyone experiencing verbal or physical aggression in a relationship to reach out for help."I thought that if I tried harder, it might be different but the reality is that it might not get better - in fact, it could get significantly worse," she said.While most people could go through a divorce process quite amicably, she said, more support was needed for those separating from abusive partners."People who could maybe talk you through the legal process and explain to you what you could do to best protect yourself and how you need to conduct yourself... would be very useful," said Ms Creak, who is from Norfolk.
According to the Office for National Statistics, 12.6 million people in England and Wales - about 26% of the population - have experienced abusive behaviour from a partner or family member since the age of 16.These figures did not account for the number of incidents or harm suffered.Women are more often the target of repeated or more severe abuse, accounting for more than three-quarters of the 108 domestic homicide victims in the year to March 2024.
Alessia Bianco, head of domestic abuse and sexual violence prevention at the charity Hestia, said leaving an abusive relationship was often a "particularly dangerous time" for survivors."Rhiannon's experience underscores that some abusers can continue to pose a threat long after separation," she said."[Creak's] actions reflect an ongoing need for power and control, which doesn't necessarily fade when someone leaves an abusive relationship."Ellie Butt, head of policy and public affairs at Refuge, which supports survivors of domestic abuse, said every two minutes someone looked to the charity for help."The period following separation from an abuser is frequently the most dangerous, carrying the highest risk of domestic homicide," she said.
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