A woman has shared her harrowing experiences of suffering at the hands of her ex-partner.
Neil Jones, 28, subjected his partner, Olivia McMahon, 22, to a series of horrific assaults spanning nearly two years, including multiple instances of attacking her while she was pregnant with his child.
Jones, a volunteer at a youth club, continued to exhibit “despicable” behaviour, even punching Olivia in the face just hours after she gave birth, with their infant son lying in a nearby cot. Olivia, having escaped her ex’s abuse, told the ECHO that she feels “lucky to be alive”.
The 22-year-old met Jones on Instagram in July 2022 when she was 19-years-old. Initially, their relationship seemed normal, and they were happy, spending a lot of time together.
However, by October, Jones’s attitude began to shift, revealing red flags in the way he spoke to and treated Olivia. His aggression escalated, causing Olivia distress, yet she made excuses for his behaviour.
Over time, the situation “gradually got worse”. Jones assaulted Olivia after a night out at the Liverpool Christmas markets in December 2022, reports the Liverpool Echo.
Recounting the traumatic event, Olivia said: “We had been to Christmas markets, we had been drinking.”
Olivia recounted the horrific ordeal that unfolded after a seemingly pleasant evening took a violent turn. “It had been a lovely night. Then he accused me of speaking to someone which I didn’t do. We had an argument then when we started walking through the city centre we were saying stuff to each other and he hit me.”
She vividly described the physical abuse that followed, stating, “I fell to the ground and he was hitting me, punching me. He dragged me across the floor. I was bruised head to toe, there was blood pouring from my mouth.”
The violence tragically escalated upon their return home, as Olivia continued, “When we got home it escalated. He got a knife from the kitchen and said he was going to kill me. I managed to lock myself in the bathroom and he was banging on the bathroom door.”
In the aftermath of the draining encounter, she expressed an urgent desire to escape but revealed that Jones inundated her with apologetic affection, convincing her to stay.
Additional claims surfaced regarding Jones’ pattern of aggression, including an incident on December 5, 2023, where he allegedly bit her in the face. Olivia touched upon the toll the relationship had taken on her, explaining, “My mental health had completely deteriorated. I wouldn’t do anything wrong some days he would wake up in a mood and I’d be walking on egg shells and his mood would brew all day then it would come to blows on a night time.”
Their turbulent relationship saw a brief end on New Year’s Day 2023. However, within just a few days, Olivia discovered she was pregnant with Jones’ child.
The couple tentatively reunited, hoping for improvement, yet Olivia confessed, “things got worse”.
Jones relentlessly continued his assault on her, even giving her a black eye by punching her in the face on April 26. The violence didn’t stop there; he struck her again on May 29, this time causing a cut to her ear.
The situation escalated after she gave birth to their son on September 22, when Jones became hostile towards a nurse. Moments later, he punched the new mother in the face as their baby lay beside her in a cot.
She recounted the harrowing experience: “I gave birth and he kicked off in the hospital two hours after I gave birth. He confronted the nurse because she woke him up, then when she left the room he punched me in the face.”
Following the hospital incident, Olivia decided to end her relationship with Jones. She was “too scared” to return home and instead sought refuge with her mother.
That’s when Jones began his campaign of threats and stalking.
He bombarded her with constant messages and calls from withheld numbers. Using a Facebook account named “Bobby Firmino”, an allusion to the ex-Liverpool FC player, he tried to track her whereabouts.
In one chilling phone call, he threatened to “get someone to rape her”, “come to her house with a knife and kill her” and “rape her and rip her throat out”. Over the Christmas and New Year period, Jones is said to have attempted to contact Ms McMahon around 400 times before his arrest on January 5.
On Monday, February 17, Jones pleaded guilty to charges of controlling or coercive behaviour, stalking involving fear of violence and making threats to kill at Liverpool Crown Court. Appearing via video link from HMP Liverpool, clad in a grey Berghaus tracksuit top, he was sentenced to 30 months in prison and given a 10-year restraining order.
For confidential support, call the 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Freephone Helpline on 0808 2000 247 or visit womensaid.co.uk. If you or your family have lost a friend or family member through fatal domestic abuse, AAFDA (Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse) can offer specialist and expert support and advocacy. For more info visit www.aafda.org.uk
