A WIRRAL men’s domestic abuse charity has spoken about a “deeply upsetting” Channel 5 documentary.
The Paul Lavelle Foundation was set up in memory of 50-year-old Paul from Rock Ferry who was killed by his girlfriend Sarah Lewis after she attacked him with a broken dinner plate in May 2017.
Lewis was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter.
50 of Paul's friends honoured his memory by setting up the foundation to raise awareness of domestic abuse involving men and delivers community well-being activity groups in the form of walking, running, swimming and cycling groups.
On Monday, March 18, Channel 5 aired a documentary, My Wife My Abuser: The Secret Footage which tells the story of Richard Spencer, 47, who endured years of abuse and terror from his wife Sheree Spencer, 46.
The documentary showed how Sharee subjected Richard to physical, mental, and emotional abuse throughout their 20-year relationship while in their home near York.
Richard recalls how his wife would grab him by the throat, spit at him, bite him, and strike him with wine bottles causing permanent injuries to his ear and elbow.
However, her harrowing acts of violence were finally brought to light after Richard secretly collected more than 40 photographs of his injuries and more than 30 video clips recorded on a nanny cam which were submitted to the police.
In the programme, all the images and recordings have been released to the public documenting the tournament that Richard went through.
Following the release of the documentary, The Paul Lavelle Foundation has spoken out about the importance of such a programme being aired.
Paul Gladwell, Co-Chairman of the Paul Lavelle Foundation, told the Globe: “The programme was deeply upsetting for everyone connected with the foundation given our own experiences with what happened to our friend Paul.
“It’s had a hard hitting affect with so many as we can see with comments made on all our posts on the programme.
“What is striking for me personally is how many are quite shocked that this can happen to a man.
"It’s quite clear that far too many people are still unaware of the fact one in three victims of domestic abuse are male and that is what are foundation is fighting to change along with many other male support groups like Mankind Initiative who have been supporting Richard as he moves his life to a better place.
“Finally we would like to commend Richard for his bravery coming forward on his experience, as this can only help male victims of domestic abuse, whilst also educating others on what is happening far more than people think.
“If there are any males suffering any form of domestic abuse out there please contact our service team, silence is not an option for us, our service team have helped save men's lives, we have a process in place that works.”
If you or anyone you know has been impacted by domestic abuse please visit: https://paullavellefoundation.co.uk/referral-forms/self-referral/.
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