Domestic abuse survivors share their experiences in BBC documentary

Two survivors of domestic abuse are among those who share their stories as part of a BBC Scotland documentary.

On Monday, Lauren Hardie and Carolyn Quinn describe their experiences at the hands of abusive partners in the BBC Disclosure documentary Surviving Domestic Abuse, on BBC One Scotland.

Miss Hardie told of her frustration at delays and a lack of communication within the justice system, after her ex-partner pleaded guilty to pushing her, holding her down by the wrists, shouting, swearing and destroying property at her home.

She was left with bite marks, bruising on her arms, shoulder and eye, and many of the contents of her flat were smashed to pieces, after an attack at the hands of her ex-partner in 2020 when they had been together for six months.

He attacked her after an evening out together, and she said she feared he would “end my life that night”, so made a recording on her phone, out of sight of him.

“I was really scared,” she said.

“The thing that was running through my mind was, ‘If I don’t make it out of this I have to show people why. I have to have proof’.

“I thought he was going to end my life that night. I just saw a knife. I had hands on me, holding me down and I was getting hurt. And he was getting angrier.”

Videos of the attack were posted on social media after Miss Hardie became frustrated with court delays, and she received hundreds of messages from other domestic violence survivors.

After he pleaded guilty to the crimes, for which he was admonished, Miss Hardie said she felt there was “really no punishment through the justice system”.

Almost 12,500 admonishments have been given as a sentence for domestic abuse over the past five years in Scotland, according to the BBC.

She said: “I didn’t think he was going to get years of jail time, but I did think that the punishment would fit the crime a little bit more.

“I feel there was a bit more that could have been done, whether that be anger management, maybe covering some of the damages that I had to pay out for – anything.”

Carolyn Quinn, from Paisley, suffered 27 years of severe violence and rapes at the hands of her ex-husband, Kenneth Quinn, which began when she was four months pregnant.

He went on trial at the High Court in Glasgow in 2023 and was sentenced to 15 years behind bars, in January this year.

Ms Quinn said: “When I first spoke to Victim Support and the Procurator Fiscal, they did say that there was a backlog of cases.

“But I didn’t expect it to be this lengthy. In a way that’s a sentence in itself, that I’ve served.

“It’s very much back to the stage of the feelings when you’re being abused. You lose control of things. And all you’re doing is waiting for that phone call.”

Kenneth Quinn was also made the subject of a lifelong non-harassment order, preventing him from ever contacting Ms Quinn again.

For her, the sentence marked a huge milestone in her recovery.

She said: “I say to other people, please come forward, please don’t suffer in silence.”

“I’ve been there. I know what it’s like and it’s horrific.

“When you leave them you know there’s a difficult journey in front. But the outcome at the end is worth it. It’s worth it.

“I am free. I was in utter hell for years. At one point I thought I was drowning. But I’m not. I am here and I’m standing.”

A spokesman for Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service (SCTS) said: “We remain conscious of the impact delays in the criminal justice system have on all those involved, whether that is from an incident being investigated by the police, the prosecution registering the case in court, or delays in the trial taking place.

“In taking a trauma-informed approach, the summary case management pilot seeks to reduce the number of unnecessary domestic abuse hearings.”

Dr Emma Forbes, national lead for domestic abuse at Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, said: “Victims of domestic abuse have shown courage to report crimes of violence and coercive control.

“By sharing their experiences, the prevalence of violence against women and girls and harmful behaviours can be made more visible.

“The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal takes a robust approach to the investigation of domestic abuse, including a presumption in favour of prosecution.

“A key priority for prosecutors is to improve our communication with victims, recognising the impact of trauma.”

BBC Disclosure: Surviving Domestic Abuse, will air at 9pm on BBC One Scotland on Monday March 11.