Domestic abuse survivor told 'your boyfriend did it' after waking up in hospital

A domestic abuse survivor has told how she woke up in hospital confused and with horrific injuries to her face before being told "your boyfriend did it". Emily Lewis was left with a gash so deep it reached her skull after an attack by Thomas Jones which left her physically and emotionally scarred for life.

Emily had to get 19 stiches after being left with an 8cm long, 4cm wide cut on her head and was "green in the face" with bruises for weeks, after Jones' carried out the vicious assault whilst on a cocaine and alcohol binge, Wales Online reports.

Brute Jones was caged for 18 months following sentencing at Swansea Crown Court. The pair had been together for three years before Jones' vicious assault after a night out in Swansea overnight between February 18 and 19.

It's reported the evening started off in good spirits before Jones' behaviour flipped. Emily said: “I believe he got kicked out of that venue,” she said. “I was outside with him trying to calm him down and it started from there.

“He was calling me names, calling me a c**t, telling me to f**k off, and telling me to go away while I was trying to defuse the situation. We went into another place and he got kicked out of there.”

The court heard how a conversation between the pair was then recorded outside their home via a smart doorbell, with the footage revealing Jones becoming aggressive towards Emily because he couldn't find the house key and blamed it on her.

Emily, who has since suffered from flashbacks of the night, said: “I don’t remember much from when we got home because of the head injury I later sustained. I remember something briefly being said about house keys because he couldn't find them and he was saying I had them when I remember he had them.

“Next I remember being inside the house and I remember him strangling me to the point where I couldn’t breathe. I could feel myself drifting in and out of consciousness. I was trying to kick him off me but I’m small compared to him so I wasn’t able to.”

Emily’s clearest memory from that night is the “excruciating” amount of pain she felt and how desperately she didn’t want to feel it any more. “While I was on the floor he was [punching] me repeatedly to the point where I was in so much pain I told him to kill me because I couldn’t stand it any more,” she said. “I was hurting everywhere. He had battered me all over.”

The court heard how violent Jones then punched Emily's mum in the face causing her nose to bleed, when the panicked parent rushed to the home, after Emily had made around 10 frantic phone calls to her mum.

Emily was rushed to Morriston Hospital in Swansea by her mum, after police turned up at the scene. The court heard how Jones continued to scream abuse at the car as they drove off.

“I signed myself in to A&E and they saw me straightaway,” Emily said. “They took me straight into resus and I don’t remember much more of that night. I remember waking up at around 9am the next morning and I didn't know what was going on.

“I was in a hospital gown and my phone was dead. I was pumped full of painkillers like morphine but I could still feel the pain. I woke up in absolute agony.”

Emily caught a glimpse of her horror injuries when she asked a nurse to charge her phone. She was even more horrified to learn how she sustained them.

She said: “I saw the state I was in. My head was shaved, I had stitches in my head, and my face was swollen up like a balloon. I threw my phone because I was in so much shock and I didn’t know who did it. I asked the nurse and she told me it was my boyfriend.

“I was shocked and traumatised when I found out he did this. My life completely changed in one night. The day before we were fine and now I haven’t spoken to him since.”

It is not known exactly how Jones caused the deep wound on Emily's forehead. However it was stated by the prosecution it was most likely to have been caused by an Alexa screen found with blood splatters on it. Emily still has a visible scar and no feeling in the area as well as issues with balance and memory.

She said: “I have an appointment with brain injury aftercare because I repeat myself constantly, my balance is off, and I have started having migraines. My balance is particularly bad – I can’t walk in a straight line.”

Jones had previously pleaded not guilty and only changed his plea to guilty to charges of inflicting bodily harm and battery a matter of minutes before his trial was due to begin in July.

Addressing Jones, who sat in the dock, Emily bravely read out her victim impact statement. She revealed to the court who she suffers from insomnia and feelings of terror whenever she looks in the mirror and is reminded to the vile attack.

“I am a survivor,” she said. “I have a scar that reminds me of how strong I will become. You haven’t taken away my will to live. You haven’t broken my spirit. This scar is a constant reminder of what happened but it does not define my future. I can’t bear the thought of this happening to someone else.”

Stuart Tupin, mitigating, told Judge Thomas how Jones was of clean character with no previous convictions and is employed. He added: “He is certainly getting to the point of facing what he did that night. I’m not saying he is there yet but he is now recognising the impact his actions had.”

Mr Tupin said the defendant had used cocaine a number of times in the past but had never reacted like this. He said Valium was also found in Jones' system that night, but the defendant maintains he did not take Valium and believes it must have been added in the bag of drugs he used alongside alcohol.

Although Mr Tupin said the use of drugs was never condoned he offered it as a possible explanation. He said Jones had booked an appointment with the Welsh Centre for Action on Dependency and Addiction.

Jones will serve half this sentence in prison before being released on licence. A restraining order will also prevent him from making any contact with Emily for the next three years.

Addressing the defendant Judge Thomas said: “This offence is simply too serious to justify anything other than immediate custody. A message has to go out to people, particularly men, that prison will be the inevitable outcome.”

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