“I WISHED every punch and kick killed me,” said a victim of domestic violence after her ex-partner was jailed.
Amber Baskerville was assaulted by her ex-boyfriend for several hours and sustained serious bruising and swelling to her face, arms, legs, and vagina.
Craig Chard, 34, of Kingsley Close, Reading, was jailed for six and a half years after the attack on April 19 last year.
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Now, Miss Baskerville hopes to speak out about her experience and raise awareness of the seriousness of domestic violence and help other victims like herself.
The 30-year-old from Woodley said: “People think, ‘It won’t be me’. People might read this article and think ‘That is bad but I will never put myself in that position’ but it is happening out there and it is serious.
“I wish I could be back there and walk the other way. It starts with, ‘Can I look at your phone’ but it escalates very quickly – the violence. It was very fast and he wasn’t going to stop.”
Chard was first jailed in January last year after assaulting Miss Baskerville and her daughter, who was nine years old at the time.
He was made subject to a restraining order but was still in contact with Miss Baskerville up until his release on April 10, 2022.
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Nine days later, he attacked Miss Baskerville for more than 10 hours.
“He was controlling and manipulative,” she said. “There was a restraining order but he broke that and he called me from prison and made threats.
“He talked me through taking an overdose. I can still hear him saying, ‘Go on, good girl, keep taking them, think about what a failure you are’.
“When he came out of prison he contacted me again and we met despite the restraining order. He assaulted me on April 19 throughout the night and it went on for hours.
“It started at 4pm and finished at 2am. I wished every punch and kick he gave me killed me as I had had enough.
“I know a lot of people who have gone through domestic violence and they all say the same thing, ‘I just wanted it over’.
“In the moment you think, ‘This is going to be a big one’ but you keep getting up and up and you think, ‘I’ve had enough’.
“He threatened to kill me. He said, ‘I’ve done a good job but it’s not a good enough job until I’ve killed you’ - I just wanted him to finish me.”
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Miss Baskerville was able to contact police on a hidden phone as well as get a text to her mother asking her to also contact police.
Chard was arrested and Miss Baskerville was taken to hospital. It took two to three months to recover from her injuries.
“I went to hospital for a CT scan and they couldn’t believe I didn’t have a broken bone,” she said. “I was convinced something was broken.
“For weeks I didn’t want to leave the house as every where I went I had people looking and asking questions.”
Chard was sentenced at Reading Crown Court on Friday, April 14 year this. He was charged with two counts of breaching a restraining order/harassment, two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and one count of threats to kill.
Judge Amjad Nawaz sentenced on the main count of threats to kill to 78 months imprisonment with the other charges receiving concurrent jail sentences.
Miss Baskerville said: “He was just smirking throughout the whole sentencing. Like it was a big game.”
Now, a year after the assault, Miss Baskerville hopes to start volunteering at Cranstoun Wokingham Domestic Abuse Service – a service that helped her in her recovery.
“They helped me massively,” she said. “My support worker taught me so much and I owe a lot to her. She’s become like a family member to me.
“She taught me there was light at the end. The volunteering for me will be part of my recovery.
“I need to speak to let it out but you don’t want to keep speaking to friends and family. I can talk to other groups and other woman and help them through it.
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“Even if I help one person that would be enough.”
According to the National Centre for Domestic Violence, police recorded 1,500,369 domestic abuse-related incidents and crimes in England and Wales in the year ending March 2022.
The number of domestic abuse-related crimes increased 7.7 per cen compared to the previous year.
It is estimated that less than 24 per cent of these cases are reported to police.
According to the Femicide Census 2020, between two to three women are murdered by a current or former partner based on the 12-year average.
Miss Baskerville said she still struggles sometimes with the memory of the assault but said she receives therapy for PTSD.
She concluded: “Some people are not lucky to just get bruises, they die.”
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If you need help and support please contact National Domestic Abuse Helpline by calling 0808 2000 247, which is a 24-hour line, or visiting their website to use an online chat.
For a local service, click here.
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