Louise Reed and Robert Jenney, right, had been friends since the age of 13. Photos / Supplied
WARNING: Disturbing content
A man in the UK who knocked out his girlfriend, leaving her face a mask of blood, must pay her just £75 ($150) in compensation.
Louise Reed, 27, slammed the sentence imposed by magistrates on Robert Jenney, 30, of Middlesbrough, and told how she had to flee through her kitchen window to escape him.
In a bid to win some kind of justice, the G4S administrator posted a picture of herself on Facebook after the attack, the Daily Mail reported.
In a moving post, she said the "strong independent woman" she always was had disappeared upon being confronted by Jenney who wore an "unforgettable look of hate and anger" on his face.
Reed and Jenney had been friends since the age of 13 and met each other by chance at a Middlesbrough FC match last season, rekindling their friendship and then starting to date.
But their three month relationship ended in two shockingly violent attacks, Teesside Magistrates' Court was told on August 23. However, Jenney only got a 12-month community order for the assaults.
Reed, who has a daughter called Skyler-Mae, said: "The sentence he received is disgusting, he should have been sent to prison because he could have killed me.
"I suffer from nightmares and have trouble sleeping, I need to move out of my house and have a fresh start with my daughter.
"I am suffering from depression but he is free to get on with his life, it feels like he's been let off."
Jenney's punishment will be to do ten days of rehabilitation activity, and he was given a 12 month restraining order to stay away from Reed. He was also ordered to pay £75 ($150) compensation to her and £165 ($323) court costs.
Reed added: "I'm a fiery person, someone who stands up for themselves but when you're faced with the person you thought you had a future with charging towards you with what I can only describe as an unforgettable look of hate and anger on their face, that strong independent woman disappears.
"Being punched, thrown about and head butted in the face and being made to feel like a prisoner in my own home having to climb out of the window whilst pouring with blood to run for help is a memory that will stay with me forever.
"Feeling like such an idiot and fool, taken in by what I thought was a kind, sweet, romantic boyfriend who would have done anything for me for then to turn at the slightest argument or disagreement, become controlling, aggressive, unrecognisable.
"He isn't the man I met when I was 13 years old. I don't know this person any more and I'm starting to question whether I actually ever did.
"The thing is with these type of people, they have a certain way of making you believe it's your fault, that you've started the argument, that you've pushed them to do what they've done.
"They manipulate you into thinking it's all in your head and you're the problem when in actual fact, it's all mind games to break you down.
"I have a three-year-old girl who I now have to pluck up the courage to face and try and explain why Mammy's face is poorly, why I'm covered in bruises, why Mammy isn't her happy self and is quite sad and why Rob won't be coming round any more."
Describing the attacks, Reed said: "When we first got together he was perfect, he treated me lovely and cooked me meals. I'd known him since I was 13-years-old so I trusted him and really liked him.
"But after a while we started to argue. We would have the slightest argument but he would overreact and then make me feel like it was my fault.
"He would also argue with my best friends, it was like he wanted to leave me with nobody, he didn't like me going out either."
Arguments turned to violence on July 21 when Reed was assaulted. Despite the incident, Reed gave Jenney a chance to redeem himself.
She said: "I actually felt like he needed help and I gave him a second chance after we spoke about some form of help. He said it wouldn't happen again."
But just over two weeks later, Jenney attacked her for a second time. Reed continued: "We were arguing at my house and then he turned violent.
"He attacked me and left me unconscious. I woke up to see him sitting rolling a cigarette, there was blood everywhere. I ran to the back door but the key was missing, it was also missing out of the front door."
Finally, Reed, who had to have the bridge of her nose glued after the attack, said she managed to flee out of her own kitchen window and sought help from a neighbour who called the police.
"Would just like to apologise in advance to my friends/family as well as Robert Jenney's friends/family as this isn't an easy thing to read. Would also like to apologise to my neighbours for the disturbance last night. If they've done it once, the likeliness is, they will do it again.
"I just wish I hadn't gave him the benefit of the doubt and let him worm his way back in. I wish I had listened and taken the advice given to me, but no, I thought I could help him deal with his demons in order to make him a better person.
"I know I'm not perfect, far from it. My depression/anxiety has been the worst it ever has been these last couple of months and I've been a very difficult person to be around but I know I didn't deserve this.
"Not when all I've done is be there for him, support him in any way possible, be there for him if/when he needed to talk to someone, encouraged him to open up and speak about what he felt and actually took time to make an appointment so he was able to get help for his anger, stood by him when everyone was telling me to walk away, falling out with friends, family, because I refused to believe he was this monster they thought he was.
"For what? It's all just been thrown back in my face...literally. For anyone who knows me knows I'm a fiery person, someone who stands up for themselves but when your faced with the person you thought you had a future with charging towards you with what I can only describe as an unforgettable look of hate and anger on their face, that strong independent woman disappears.
"Being punched, thrown about and head butted in the face and being made to feel like a prisoner in my own home having to climb out of the window whilst pouring with blood to run for help is a memory that will stay with me forever.
"Feeling like such a f***ing idiot and fool taken in by what I thought was a kind, sweet, romantic boyfriend who would have done anything for me for then to turn at the slightest argument/disagreement, become controlling, aggressive, unrecognizable.
"This isn't the man I met when I was 13 years old. I don't know this person anymore and I'm starting to question wether I actually did... Thing is with these type of people, they have a certain way of making you believe it's your fault, that you've started the argument, that you've pushed them to do what they've done.
"They manipulate you into thinking it's all in your head and you're the problem when I'm actual fact, it's all mind games to break you down.
"I'm sorry if this post has upset/offended anyone because a lot of people haven't seen this side of him, and if someone told me any of this I don't think I'd have believed it myself but from what I've been told by numerous people - a lot of people have witnessed this side of him and that scares me.
"Before anyone starts saying I've put this post on for attention - no, I really haven't. I've put this post on because I don't want this happening to anyone else.
"I have a three year old girl who I now have to pluck up the courage to face and try and explain why Mammy's face is poorly, why I'm covered in bruises, why Mammy isn't her happy self and is quite sad and why Rob won't be coming round anymore. You don't do this to someone you love."
• Phone the police on 111 or ask neighbours of friends to ring for you.
• Run outside and head for where there are other people.
• Scream for help so that your neighbours can hear you.
• Take the children with you.
• Don't stop to get anything else.
• If you are being abused, remember it's not your fault. Violence is never okay
• Women's Refuge: Free national crisis line operates 24/7 - 0800 refuge or 0800 733 843 www.womensrefuge.org.nz
• Shine, free national helpline 9am- 11pm every day - 0508 744 633 www.2shine.org.nz
• It's Not Ok: Information line 0800 456 450 www.areyouok.org.nz
• Shakti: Providing specialist cultural services for African, Asian and middle eastern women and their children. Crisis line 24/7 0800 742 584
• Ministry of Justice: www.justice.govt.nz/family-justice/domestic-violence
• National Network of Stopping Violence: www.nnsvs.org.nz
• White Ribbon: Aiming to eliminate men's violence towards women, focusing this year on sexual violence and the issue of consent. www.whiteribbon.org.nz