TERRIFIED HE WILL KILL ME
MUM IN SHOCKING ABUSE CASE DISCOVERS ATTACKER DUE OUT OF JAIL
CHARLOTTE Rooks was beaten with hammers, made to sleep naked standing up and forced to eat pictures of deceased loved ones by her partner.
All of this while she was pregnant with his child.
Her horror story was described by a judge who sentenced her tormentor as one of the “worst ever cases of domestic abuse” he had ever seen.
And yet the 35-year-old has learned – from social media – that her attacker is about to walk free, five years after he was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Charlotte, from Cardiff, was told he would serve his full sentence.
She has since been emailed to say that she was given incorrect information at the time.
Meanwhile, an investigation has found widespread failings from police in how they handled her case.
They failed in their basic duties to protect her when called out to investigate reports of abuse, allowing Craig Thomas to continue his catalogue of torture.
Now living in fear, and still enduring the physical and emotional effects of her ordeal, she has described how:
She has covered her house in cameras and carries a panic alarm in constant fear she is going to die;
she gives neighbours and strangers a false name because she cannot trust anyone; and
she cannot physically cry due to the punishment she was subjected to.
Since her ordeal, which left her with post-traumatic stress and needing significant plastic surgery, Charlotte has spoken openly and bravely about her experience.
She hopes that by doing so she will encourage other women in similar positions to seek help.
Despite her bravery, though, she remains terrified, even more so after finding out about Thomas’ release.
“I found out through social media,” she said. “It was horrific. I felt like someone was sitting on my heart.”
Under the Criminal Justice Act 2003, most prisoners must be automatically released at the halfway point of their sentence, but Charlotte was under the impression that Thomas would serve his entire sentence.
“For years I was always being told that he wasn’t coming out,” she said.
“I was then told by email that they had made a mistake to say that. After all those years of being told to relax and that I had nothing to worry about.
“I worry that he is going to come back and kill me. I haven’t been for a night out with friends for months because I’m too frightened.
“One of my first thoughts when I heard he was coming out was, ‘S***, I haven’t done anything on my bucket list.’”
Instead of trying to live her best life, Charlotte spends her time preparing for the worst.
“I have been preparing to make a will and getting everything ready for my son. I am not living my life,” she said. “I have phone numbers on my noticeboard so that if something happens to me people will know who to contact.”
She has moved to new accommodation and gone to extreme levels to make it secure.
“I have always had a panic alarm, but now I have got security cameras which will face in both directions at my back door and my front door.
“I also have a wristband with a
panic button on it because the actual button for the panic alarm is by the phone so you might not always be near it.
“I have even had to put a GPS tracker on my dog because I’m not taking any chances with my dog.
“He used my dog against me before. And I haven’t told my neighbours my real name. I don’t want to compromise my security. It is like in Home Alone when he is preparing the house. I keep a hammer under my bed and a crowbar on the stairs.
“People tell me that I shouldn’t live like this, but they don’t understand.”
Despite this, Charlotte wants to be portrayed as a survivor not a victim.
She is determined that her life is not defined by her attacker.
But the physical and emotional scars are a constant reminder.
Three months of intense abuse left her needing plastic surgery. A range of lasting health issues include short-term memory loss, hearing problems, scars and lumps where she was stabbed and hit.
She suffers from Bell’s palsy, a paralysis of the muscles in her face caused by damaged nerves. And she can no longer cry. “It is to do with the post-traumatic stress and messages to the brain,” she said. “My eyelids will blink automatically but if I try to deliberately close them I can’t do it. Certain messages just aren’t getting there.
“It sounds like a dead animal when I try to cry. I’ve got all this emotion but it’s all suppressed because I can’t cry.
“My eyes glisten. I get a feeling on my chest but nothing will actually come out. It’s been a year since I could cry.
“I am emotionally suppressed and I know it sounds dramatic but it’s a barrier of having this constant feeling that you can’t express.
“It is like being paralysed, it is horrible. I just want to cry, even if it is a good cry watching a film.”
She has not given up on finding love.
“I have dated but I don’t want to just start going with some guy just because I don’t want to be on my own when he comes out,” she said.
“I always hoped I would have rebuilt a life for myself by the time he came out. I’m not in the place I thought I would be.
“I am really happy at home with my dog, but you do want more.
“Dating is bad enough when you’re 35 anyway, but you also have to think about when you are going to tell someone about it.
“Who doesn’t want to be loved? Who wants to go through life not having that one true love and I’ll be damned if he’s going to take that away from me.”
Regarding Thomas’ upcoming release, a Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “No-one is released from prison without a tough riskassessment, strict licence conditions and close monitoring.
“Typically, licence conditions for domestic abusers dictate that they are not allowed anywhere near or to contact their victim and that they must inform probation officers of any developing relationships.
”Anyone who breaches their licence conditions can face further time behind bars.”