Woman brutally beaten by ex on moment she thought she would die at hands of her crazed partner
A woman brutally beaten by her former boyfriend has shared her harrowing story for the first time about the moment she thought she would die at the hands of her crazed partner.
Natalie Mullan wants people to see the pictures of her face in the aftermath of the attack to show the reality of domestic abuse.
In them the 27-year-old’s eyesockets are swollen, her nose is broken after her then partner rained down blows on the woman he claimed to love.
Natalie said: "All I remember is looking in the mirror and just breaking my heart crying, knowing that I let someone do that..."
Natalie’s ex-partner is now in jail.
Eamon Begley, 30, from Kings Lane in Limavady, was recently given a four-year sentence for domestic abuse, actual bodily harm and assault.
Half of that sentence is to be spent in jail – the rest on licence.
To protect Natalie when he gets out, Begley has also been handed a five-year restraining order and he has been ordered to stay at least 200m away from his ex.
Natalie’s physical wounds may have healed, but the psychological ones run deep.
Theirs - a relationship build on coercive control which erupted into serious violence on July 19th, 2022.
Natalie sensed Begley was going to lash out – so she rushed home with a friend to grab whatever belongings she could to leave.
But Begley got there before she could escape.
‘’I had a wee glass table beside the bed and that's when he pushed me down on top of that and had just repeatedly started to stamp on my head and was trailing me from my room to the top of the stairs down to the kitchen... ’’ Natalie told UTV.
"I just lay there and let him repeatedly stamp all over my head, I thought this was it..."
It was her friend who raised the alarm and alerted police. But Natalie didn’t have the courage to leave Begley straight away.
Like most abusers he wormed his way back in. And attacked her again before she left for good.
Natalie said: "I’m in charge now, I'm not wakening up every morning thinking what's going to happen now..."
If you've been affected by any of these issues, these links to independent charities and organisations may be able to provide some advice and support.
Domestic abuse
Victims of Crime
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.