I was 19 when I first met Ben*, in March 2003. I’d just come out of a bad relationship and couldn’t believe my luck – he was a few years older than me, charming and attentive, and wanted us to spend all our time together. He made me feel so loved and cared for. My parents liked him too – they were glad I’d found someone who would look after me, and it wasn’t long before I left home and moved in with him.
Blinded by love
‘I was more like a possession than his partner’
But before long, things began to change. Ben started making jokes at my expense, and I found them really hurtful. He’d dismiss them as banter and I thought I was just being sensitive, but his cruel jokes became a habit
