SURVIVAL STORIES
FOR YEARS, TINA TALBOT, 56, SUFFERED AT THE HANDS OF HER HUSBAND. BUT WHEN HE MADE ATERRIFYING THREAT, SHE DID THE UNTHINKABLE
When Ifirst met my partner Milosz Szczepanowicz, Iwas smitten. Iwas 25 and hadn’t had many boyfriends, but he totally swept me off my feet.
We hadn’t been together long when he came over as asurprise and wanted to take me out. “We’ve got family plans.
You can’t go,” my dad said. “Come with me, or it’s over,” Milosz told me. When I hesitated, he stormed back to his car and sped away, tyres squealing. “He’s controlling,” Dad said. “I don’t want you seeing him.”
But Iignored him. Iwas in love.
Soon after, Igot my own flat and Milosz moved in with me. It caused ahuge rift with my parents. “They don’t care about you,” Milosz insisted. One day, we got into afight about my family, and he flew into arage and beat me up. Ifled and called the police, but Iwas too embarrassed to press charges. “It won’t happen again,” Milosz vowed afterwards. “I lost it because your family treat you so badly.” I loved him, so Idecided to forgive him.
Over time, he isolated me from my friends, as well as my family, and along with the violence came terrifying threats. “If you leave me, I’ll kill you and your family,” he swore. As the years passed, his temper meant Milosz struggled to keep ajob. Eventually, he said, “I’m giving up work. You can support me.” While Iworked, he would spend all day sleeping. He got obsessed with porn, too, and began demanding things Ididn’t want to do in bed. When Irefused, he beat me so badly, Istopped resisting. When my sister Becky died, he let me go to the funeral, but forbade me from going to my parents’ home afterwards. Iwas completely trapped.
THREATS
Not long after Becky passed away, Igot pregnant. Iwas so happy, but Milosz said, “I’ve never wanted kids.” He booked an abortion, but on the day, Itold him that Iwas keeping the baby. The baby inside me was the only thing that kept me going and when Igave birth to Phillip in 2011, he became my everything. For the first few months, I’d take him to visit my parents. But then Milosz threatened them, so Ihad to cut contact.
When Phillip was afew years old, he was diagnosed with autism. He was nonverbal, but grew into an affectionate and loving boy. Milosz then insisted we get married. It was one of the unhappiest days of my life, and the piece of paper seemed to give him alicence to be more violent. Before, he’d avoided leaving visible bruises. Now, he didn’t care, and Ihad to lie to colleagues after going into work with black eyes.
In September 2018, when Phillip was seven, Milosz got angry at me for going out without telling him where.
He battered me to the floor, then grabbed achair
