Romsey domestic abuse survivor speaks out about attack

Caprice Glasspool, 25, was assaulted by her partner Haydon Cordeiro, who appeared before Southampton Crown Court last month.

Cordeiro, of Hillview Road, Hythe, was given a nine month sentence, suspended for two years, after pleading guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Deciding to speak out publicly, Ms Glasspool said she wanted to encourage other women to leave abusive relationships sooner.

“Our relationship became physical in the last year and worsened in the months before he was arrested," the 25-year-old told the Echo.

Some of the injuries sustained by Caprice (Image: Caprice Glasspool) After the assault at the end of December last year, she was left with “multiple bruises” down her arms.

Ms Glasspool said she was hit and forcefully grabbed by her ex partner.

Three weeks later, she gave birth to her second child with Cordeiro.

She described the attack as one of the worst things she has experienced but said she found leaving the relationship equally hard.

READ MORE: Domestic abuse victim feels 'let down' as abuser released from prison early

Ms Glasspool said: “I had to stay in hospital for longer after my daughter was born, but soon after she was absolutely fine.

“As soon as the attack happened I left and called the police straight away because for me, that was it.

“I could not continue our three-year relationship anymore.

“I felt like I couldn’t leave because I was scared for the safety of my children.

“The decision to leave was hard to make. At the time I only had a couple of weeks of my pregnancy left.

“My advice to women in a similar situation is to firstly look up Clare’s Law, a scheme that allows the police to release information about a person's history of violence or abuse.

“Secondly, it is always better to leave than to stay. I wish I left sooner than I did.

“I was worried that nobody would believe what he was like, and what he had done to me."

Caprice Glasspool (Image: Caprice Glasspool) In her victim impact statement read out in court on October 30, Ms Glasspool said Cordeiro “chipped away at my self-worth” and isolated her from friends and family.

“I had to tread on eggshells around him and was consumed with anxiety not knowing what mood he would be in”, she added.

She is now feeling optimistic for the future, saying: “I do feel relieved in a sense, but it is going to take a long time to get over.”

Cordeiro was also handed a five-year restraining order and ordered to pay compensation and a victim surcharge.