Three women, all public servants devoted to helping and protecting the most vulnerable in society – yet at home they were in a permanent state of fearing for their lives.
asserted
they → devote → lives
Ambulance worker Helen Duncanson mentions 'that time he came at me with a claw hammer' almost in passing, at the end of our interview.
asserted
he → mention → interview
By then Helen, 41, has documented the worst abuses she suffered at the hands of her former partner: the night he strangled her until she blacked out; the psychological torment; the financial abuse; the times he locked her out, leaving her to sleep, freezing, in her car before getting up for a shift, saving other people's lives, the next morning.
asserted
he → document → lives
Primary school teacher Karen Haynes, 54, was tormented for nearly 30 years by her headteacher husband, an apparent pillar of the community who – when they were alone – boasted that with his Freemason contacts he could have her killed.
uncertain
her → torment → contacts
'One call; one bullet,' he said.
asserted
he → say → ?
School safeguarding lead Kirsty Pellant, 46, had a stellar career, and was highly respected until parents in her school were faced with claims – entirely fabricated – that she was a sexual deviant, selling herself online, going by the name of Slutty Teacher.
uncertain
she → have → Teacher
She wasn't even in a relationship with the man – a teacher in her school – who hijacked her identity, destroyed her career and left her shaking at the idea of even going to the supermarket.
asserted
who → hijack → supermarket
His vile campaign of stalking, which resulted in men turning up at Kirsty's house in Kent in person, was eventually described by a judge as the worst of its kind he had ever seen.
asserted
he → result → kind
All three women found the courage to go to the police and spent years navigating the justice system, a brutal experience in itself.
School safeguarding lead Kirsty Pellant had a stellar career, and was highly respected until parents in her school were faced with claims – entirely fabricated – that she was a sexual deviant, selling herself online, going by the name of Slutty Teacher
uncertain
she → find → Teacher
stalker – former paratrooper turned teacher Jonathan Bates – was sentenced to five years in prison in January 2025 for his crimes
All breathed a sigh of relief, for others as much as for themselves, when their abusers were finally put behind bars.
Yet all three feel anything but safe today.
asserted
three → turn → bars
The controversial Progression Model scheme – designed to ease overcrowding in prisons by releasing thousands of perpetrators early – swung into action this week with the first 700 prisoners walking free.
asserted
prisoners → design → action
Around 3,800 more will follow, over 10 staged tranches until next June.
asserted
3,800 → follow → June
Helen, Kirsty and Karen are among the thousands who have been put on alert that their attackers could soon be among them.
uncertain
attackers → put → them
'We're sitting ducks,' says Helen, terrified all over again about what is to come.
asserted
what → sit → ?
'What if he comes back to kill me?
asserted
he → come → me
As we speak, Helen has been watching TV footage of the first prisoners coming out, punching the air, celebrating and thanking Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
asserted
prisoners → speak → Burnham
I appreciate it,' said one gleeful inmate, walking out of HMP Brixton after serving just a third of his sentence, when asked if he had a message for the PM.
asserted
he → appreciate → PM
'I had to turn it off.
asserted
I → have → it
I can't watch it,' says Helen.
asserted
Helen → watch → it
'It's like they're saying, 'We've won'.
asserted
We → say → ?
Kirsty sees another horror.
asserted
Kirsty → see → horror
'The Government is using us as guinea pigs.
asserted
Government → use → pigs
They stress that they can recall these men to prison if anything happens but don't they see that, by that time, a victim will have been hurt again.
asserted
victim → stress → time
I simply can't believe what they are doing.
asserted
they → believe → what
Why do we have judges?
asserted
we → have → judges
Why are we bothering?
asserted
we → bother → ?
There was public outrage as the details of the scheme began to emerge but after widespread protests – notably those that followed the potential early release of PC Andrew Harper's killers – Mr Burnham did a partial U-turn, announcing that rapists, sex offenders and those convicted of unlawful killing would be excluded from the scheme.
asserted
rapists → be → scheme
Primary school teacher Karen Haynes was tormented for nearly 30 years by her headteacher husband, an apparent pillar of the community who – when they were alone – boasted that with his Freemason contacts he could have her killed
Karen was in an abusive relationship for 28 years with her ex Christopher Haynes
Domestic abusers and stalkers are still eligible, however.
uncertain
abusers → torment → ex
Which leaves an awful lot of victims, mostly women, terrified, angry, feeling let down by the authorities – and fearing for their lives all over again.
asserted
Which → leave → lives
Helen, who lives near York, has been told that her tormentor, Michael Boyes – a man who, even before she met him, had 20 previous convictions, including for domestic abuse – may be free as early as March.
uncertain
she → live → March
By then he will have served just 14 months of a three-and-a-half year sentence.
asserted
he → serve → sentence
When he was jailed in January, after admitting assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and controlling or coercive behaviour against Helen, the judge described what she had been through at his hands as 'mental torture' and imposed a ten-year restraining order.
asserted
she → jail → order
Words can't adequately convey what he did to Helen but he specialised in torture relating to memories of her mother.
asserted
he → convey → mother
He once strangled her to the point of unconsciousness with a necklace her late mum had bought her.
asserted
mum → strangle → her
'I was so stupid, thinking, 'don't break, don't break' because my mum had bought it', she tells me.
asserted
she → think → me
He also smashed other prized gifts from her after forcing Helen to get on her hands and knees to beg him not to.
asserted
He → smash → him
She did.
asserted
She → do → ?
He smashed them anyway.
asserted
He → smash → them
Helen attempted suicide towards the end of her ordeal, 'and then he laughed at me for not even being able to kill myself properly.
asserted
he → attempt → myself
He told me no one cared about me.
asserted
one → tell → me
…and 96 more, not listed.
The Aporia
