I never imagined the man I once loved would become the source of my greatest nightmare. In April 2011, Shane Jenkin subjected me to 12 hours of unimaginable violence, leaving me permanently blind. He broke my jaw, throttled me into unconsciousness, and gouged out my eyes – all while my two young sons slept upstairs. Despite the horror of his actions, Jenkin was sentenced to a minimum of just six years in prison in 2012. Now, after multiple failed parole attempts, he’s been moved to an open prison and is set to be released.

That decision feels like a personal betrayal – but it also exposes a deeper, systemic failure that affects every victim of domestic abuse. Our justice system continues to fail survivors while offering leniency to perpetrators. There’s a two-tier approach at play – one that prioritises the rehabilitation and “rights” of abusers over the safety, voice, and trauma of those they’ve hurt. I’ve been urged to consider what Jenkin must carry. But what about what I carry?

I can no longer see the faces of my children. I walk through life in darkness, navigating a world that was violently and suddenly taken from me. Every moment since that attack has been shaped by what he did.

Like so many others, I didn’t recognise the signs of abuse until it was too late. I stayed, hoping he would change, blaming myself, excusing his behaviour. That’s the insidious nature of abuse – it’s not just the physical violence, but the emotional control that convinces you you’re the problem. When I finally left him, I thought I was free. But freedom isn’t real when you’re constantly looking over your shoulder, wondering if the man who destroyed your life will be set free.

It’s devastating that even now, I have to fight for protection. Since I began speaking out about Jenkin’s release, I’ve been overwhelmed by public support. Thousands have signed my petition and donated to my GoFundMe campaign to help me afford basic security: alarms, CCTV – things no survivor should have to crowd-fund just to feel safe in their own home. Your support has been a lifeline, a collective act of defiance against a system that leaves survivors exposed and unheard.

But it shouldn’t be this way. The public shouldn’t have to make up for the failings of our justice system. We need urgent reform. That means tougher sentencing that reflects the severity of these crimes – not just the visible wounds but the lifelong impact on victims and their families. It means putting survivors’ voices at the heart of parole decisions. Domestic abuse isn’t a one-off – it’s a pattern rooted in power and control. People like Shane Jenkin remain a risk.

Too often, abusers are treated as if their violence was a lapse, something they can “rehabilitate” from. But what I suffered wasn’t a lapse. It was premeditated, sustained, and sadistic. The justice system talks about second chances. But what about ours? Where is my second chance to see my sons grow up? To walk down the street without fear?

Domestic abuse is a crisis in this country – and it’s still not taken seriously enough. It’s dismissed as a private matter, something that happens behind closed doors. But those doors open into our hospitals, schools, workplaces, and courts. We need education, prevention, support services, but above all, we need accountability. Until perpetrators are fully held responsible, survivors will keep being failed.

To anyone going through what I did: you are not alone. There is help, and there is hope. Please, reach out – before it’s too late. And to those in power: stop treating domestic abuse as a lesser crime. Start listening to victims and act like our lives matter as much as the people who tried to destroy them.

As a former Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer knows how vital the justice system is in protecting the vulnerable. Now is his chance to step up and prove it.

I refuse to be silent. I refuse to let the man who blinded me walk out of prison like nothing happened. And I refuse to accept a justice system that values his “rehabilitation” over my right to feel safe. No longer can we allow the "rights” of perpetrators to be prioritised over the safety and dignity of survivors. We need change and we need it now.