Maya's story

‘Rob’s changed so much since I first met him. He was kind and considerate in the beginning and seemed to adore Lauren as though she was his own. But recently he’s been so angry, he’s always having a go and nothing is ever right. Then last Thursday he started shouting at me and hit me so hard that I fell against the kitchen door. He stormed off.

I picked up Lauren and rushed round to my friend’s house. I didn’t want to call the police so Karen said at least I should go and see a solicitor. She managed to get me an appointment for the next day after she explained what had happened and how scared I was, but she had to try four different places.

The receptionist was kind but I still felt nervous sitting in the waiting room. I saw a lady solicitor. She was quite smart and businesslike but after a while I realised she knew what to do and was going to help me, so I began to relax. She asked me about my income and savings and was quickly able to tell me that I could get free legal advice. This was a huge relief as I was really worried about the cost.

There were a number of different things I could do: my head was spinning; there was so much to think about. I knew I couldn’t go back and live in the same flat again. The solicitor said she could help me get re-housed by the council because we were homeless due to violence. She told me about a refuge where I could stay in the meantime if my friend couldn’t put me up.

We agreed that we would go to court and ask for an order to protect me from any more abuse from Rob. She promised that I wouldn’t have to go to court on my own; she would go with me.

I got my court order. After the court hearing I had a letter from my solicitor explaining what the order meant and what we needed to do next. It had been a terrible few weeks but at least someone was helping me now.’

December 2005