A woman brutally beaten by her abusive partner has told how she asked him to kill her to take away the pain. Thomas Jones was high on cocaine and alcohol when he carried out the violent attack on his then partner.
His girlfriend of three years, Emily Lewis, was left scarred for life after he punched her and strangled her to the point she could no longer breathe. Now Emily is bravely speaking out to raise awareness of domestic abuse and its consequences.
Emily, from Neath, told Walesonline how she woke up in hospital after the horrific attack with little memory of the events leading up to her admission. She suffered a head wound 8cm long and 4cm wide and so deep it reached her skull.
She needed 19 stitches and also had a broken cheekbone and was covered in bruises. Then her world was destroyed when a nurse told her, “Your friend did it.”
Jones, who had no previous convictions, will now begin an 18-month prison sentence for the attack. He also attacked Emily’s mother when she came to her aid and was given a separate two-month prison sentence to run concurrently with the longer term.
But for Emily, she’s still faced with flashbacks to that night last February. Emily explained how the night went.
She said that although their relationship was not perfect, Jones had never been “hugely aggressive” towards her. However, he had gone out, came home late and then ‘tested’ her, leading her to believe he had a drinking problem.
She said: “There were signs of negative behavior towards me, but nothing like that. I wouldn’t have described it as a toxic relationship.” But on February 18, 2023, that all changed.
The two had gone out with friends in Swansea and while the evening started with them having fun, Jones’ behavior changed when they went to a second venue, which she believed led to him being kicked out.
She said: “I was outside with him trying to calm him down and it started from there. He cursed me out, called me an act, told me to fuck off, and told me to leave while I tried to defuse the situation. We went to another place and he was sent away from there.
Although Emily has little memory of what happened next due to the head injury, a smart doorbell outside their home caught Jones becoming aggressive towards her when he couldn’t find the key and then blamed her. She said: “I don’t remember much when we got home because of the head injury I suffered later. I remember something was said briefly about house keys because he couldn’t find them and he said I had them, even though I remember he had them.
“Then I remember I was in the house and I remember him choking me to the point where I couldn’t breathe. I felt myself drifting in and out of consciousness. I tried to kick him off, but I’m small compared to him, so I couldn’t.
Today she says her clear memory of that night was the “excruciating” pain she was in and how she wanted it to end. She said: “While I was on the floor, he was lying down [punching] me repeatedly to the point where I was in so much pain that I told him to kill me because I couldn’t take it anymore,” she said. “I had pain everywhere. He had abused me everywhere.”
Desperate for help, Emily made about ten phone calls to her mother. When she arrived at the house, Jones punched her in the face, leaving her nose bleeding.
Police arrived and Emily’s mother took her to Morriston Hospital in Swansea, with Jones still shouting at them as they left. Emily said: “I registered with A&E and they saw me straight away.
“They immediately took me to CPR and I don’t remember much about that night. I remember waking up around 9am the next morning and not knowing what was going on.
“I was wearing a hospital gown and my phone was dead. I was pumped full of painkillers like morphine, but I could still feel the pain. I woke up in absolute agony.”
It wasn’t until she saw an image on her phone camera that she discovered how badly she was injured. She said: “I saw the condition I was in. My head was shaved, I had stitches in my head and my face was swollen like a balloon. I threw my phone because I was in such shock and I didn’t. I know who did it. I asked the nurse and she told me it was my boyfriend.
“I was shocked and traumatized when I found out he did this. My life changed completely overnight. We were fine the day before and I haven’t spoken to him since.”
It remains unknown how Jones caused the deep wound on Emily’s head, but the prosecutor told the court it was likely caused by an Alexa screen with blood splattered on it. Emily still bears the visible scar from that night and she has no sensation in the area. She also has problems with her memory and her balance is now so poor that she can no longer walk in a straight line.
During the hearing, prosecutor Alycia Carpanini told Judge Paul Thomas QC how Jones had previously denied the offense but then changed his plea to guilty to charges of causing grievous bodily harm and battery just minutes before his trial in July to start. She said the aggravating features of the attack include that Jones was high on drugs and alcohol at the time and that he carried out the attack in a domestic setting.
Emily turned to Jones and read her victim impact statement to the court. She said she now suffers from insomnia and anxiety when she looks in the mirror and is reminded of what Jones did to her.
But she told Jones, “I am a survivor. I have a scar that reminds me of how strong I will become. You haven’t taken away my will to live. You didn’t break my spirit. This scar is a constant reminder of what happened, but it does not determine my future. I can’t bear the thought of this happening to anyone else.”
Stuart Tupin, mitigating, told the court: “He (Jones) is certainly getting to the point of facing what he did that night. I’m not saying he’s there yet, but he is now recognizing the impact his actions had.”
He said Jones had used cocaine a number of times but had never reacted like this. He added that Valium was also found in Jones’ system that evening, but said the defendant said he had not taken Valium and believes it must have been added to the bag of drugs he was taking in addition to alcohol.
He added that although drug use was never condoned, he offered it as a possible explanation. He said Jones had made an appointment with the Welsh Center for Action on Dependency and Addiction.
Judge Thomas sentenced Jones to 18 months in prison for his actions towards Emily. He was also sentenced to two months in prison for his actions towards Emily’s mother. Half of this sentence will be served in prison before Jones is released on bond. A restraining order will also prevent him from contacting Emily for the next three years.
Judge Thomas said: “This offense is simply too serious to warrant anything other than immediate custody. A message needs to go out to people, especially men, that prison will be the inevitable outcome.”
If you or someone you know has been affected by domestic abuse, visit the Live Fear Free website or call the helpline on 0808 80 10 800.