A NHS worker who was subjected to intense emotional and physical abuse before she was rescued from a night of horror in a Southport hotel has now spoken out about her ordeal.
Hoping it will help others to see telltale signs of abuse, NHS administrator Karla Greenwood has laid bare the aganisong ordeal she suffered at the hands of then boyfriend Lewis Greenwood.
The relationship, which started off with red flags, eventually boiled over into a night of terror at an unnamed Southport hotel and spa that saw hotel guests step in and rescue Karla from physical abuse.
Karla told the media “
He knew everything about my life. He’d been looking at my Facebook for years. He lied about his age and lied about his name – I knew him as Lewis Seaz. He was very good at manipulating.
“He isolated me from friends and family, saying it was just me and him against the world. He talked about our future and made me feel like I was the woman for him but it was very controlling, like ‘do you want to have another baby’, but I’d only known him a few months. I didn’t know him at all really.”
In August of last year Karla planned a romantic spa break to celebrate Greenwood’s birthday.
They spent the day enjoying the hotel facilities, but as they drank Prosecco, Greenwood’s mood began to change.
She continued “He started being nasty to the waiters, saying ‘I don’t want my cake, take it away.’ I could just sense that things were going to kick off”, she said. “I said I didn’t want to go back to the hotel. The next thing I remember was waking up in the footwell of the car.
“He grabbed hold of my hand and bit all my knuckles open. He chased me out of the car and pretended to hug me, but he was biting his teeth into my ear. I was screaming, but no sound was coming out. Then he forced me into the hotel, which was like an Airbnb above a bar. He started drinking shots straight away but I knew what would be coming. I only had one drink because I knew I had to be on top form.
“We had an argument and he pinned me to the bed saying he was going to gouge my eye balls. He said horrible things, like he spoke to the devil who told him to kill me every day. I put my phone on charge, thinking as soon as he went to bed I’d call someone to come and get me but he started drinking again and I knew I needed to get out.
“He chased after me and dragged me back by my hair. He caused loads of damage to the hotel, ripping slates up. He was screaming, saying he’d kill me and kill my dog, he’d hurt my little girl, he’d kill himself and make it look like I’d done it – horrible, nasty things.
“I was screaming and crying. The person in the next room must have called the police. Lewis set the fire alarm off in a rage then started blaming me, saying I’d done it. He’d left the keys in the room and he was banging on every door, trying to get their keys, which of course wouldn’t have worked for our room anyway.
“A man and a woman approached us, and I was whispering ‘can you help me?’ The man distracted me and the woman got me to her room. It was like something from a horror movie. I thought I was going to die that night.”
On February 27, Greenwood was sentenced to 21 months in prison and handed a 10 year restraining order to keep Karla safe. She contacted local newspaper LancsLive to tell her story as she hopes it will help other women recognise red flags in a relationship and give them the courage to speak out against abusers.
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