A Moray mum who says she has been “destroyed” by domestic abuse has urged other women not to suffer in silence.
Stacy Devlin endured months of torment before summoning the courage to report her abuser, who is the father of her young child, to police.
Miss Devlin gained a measure of satisfaction this week when former partner Liam Smith admitted charges of assault in court – but she fears her experiences will haunt her forever.
The 22-year-old hairdresser, from Fochabers, now suffers from post traumatic stress disorder as a result of her ordeal.
On Wednesday Smith appeared at Elgin Sheriff Court, where he admitted charges of assault against Miss Devlin between March 1 and March 31 this year.
The 27-year old, of 17 St Andrew’s Court in Buckie, pleaded guilty to holding Miss Devlin by her wrists and throwing her to the floor, and striking her on her face.
Ms Devlin was 19 when she first met Smith, and says he appeared to be “the perfect boyfriend”.
But that all changed when she fell pregnant with the couple’s child.
Though she suffered physical attacks at the hands of her boyfriend, Miss Devlin says the “mental abuse” that accompanied the violence was “ten times worse”.
She said: “I was miserable, but it got to the point where I was too scared to leave him.
“My anxiety was, and still is, horrendous.
“But as bad as the violence was, the mental side was ten times worse.
“He constantly told me that nobody else would want me, I wasn’t allowed to have any friends and he even locked me in the house.
“Bruises fade, but this stuff will stay with me forever.
“Now I just want other people to know they can come forward, and they don’t have to suffer like I did.”
Miss Devlin says she is now looking to move from the house the couple shared in an effort to help her recover from the ordeal.
“I don’t feel safe in my own home”, she added.
The mum credits Moray Woman’s Aid with helping her come to terms with her ordeal.
After hearing representations on his behalf from solicitor Stephen Carty, sheriff Olga Pasportnikov agreed to defer sentencing on Smith for six months – during which time he is to be of good behaviour.
Moray woman destroyed by abuse
