‘I thought my ex was going to kill me

A mum who was viciously attacked by her ex-boyfriend has urged women to ‘get out’ as soon as they see ‘red flags’. Lisa Gouldson said she was left in agony after former partner John Brown repeatedly punched her and another woman, leaving them both needing hospital treatment.

Brown, 50, was jailed for nine months and handed a two-year restraining order by Liverpool Crown Court last week after admitting assault occasioning actual bodily harm and and assault. The court heard how on November 3 last year, Brown subjected Lisa and another woman to a vicious assault, leaving them both injured. The attack took place at an address in Kirkby.

Speaking to the ECHO, Lisa, 46, said: “He punched me repeatedly. I was black and blue all over and lost four of my teeth – three on top and one on the bottom.” She also suffered broken ribs in the attack, and said that more than two months on from the ordeal, she still hasn’t recovered from what happened to her.

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“I don’t know how I escaped to be honest,” she told us. “As it was happening, I was just thinking, I need to get out because he’s going to kill me. He was like an animal – I’ve never seen him that angry before. It’s left my confidence low and I can’t trust anyone anymore. It’s been a very stressful time.”

The relationship lasted for 25 years, on and off, and Lisa now says she regrets staying with Brown for so long. “I was too invested in our history,” she said. “I was always trying to make it work.”

She said she has chosen to speak out “so that women can be braver and stand up for themselves”. “My advice is just to leave the situation as soon as you’re able. As soon as you’re disrespected and you see those red flags, get out of the relationship before it becomes physical or mental.”

On that terrible November night, it wasn’t just Lisa who suffered. There were two young children in the property at the time, who were forced to flee the home in terror.

Police were first alerted by reports of two children screaming and crying in the street, with the caller stating that they “believed someone was getting seriously hurt”. The children reportedly “heard the commotion” and fled.

When a family member later attended the address, Brown “became angry and repeatedly punched her to the head and grabbed her neck”. Lisa and the woman were both treated at Aintree Hospital for their injuries, while the children were found “safe and well”.

Brown has a total of 16 previous convictions for 36 offences, including matters concerning drug trafficking and receiving an 18-month community order for assault in August 2023. Jim Smith, defending, told the court: “He has stated that it should not have happened. This is the biggest wake up call he has ever had. He is not going to use drugs again.

“He has been punished significantly. As a carer for his mother at the time, his mother has subsequently passed away while he has been on remand awaiting his fate. He has been unable to lend his support to the extended family and attend his mother’s funeral. He knows that the responsibility was on him to ensure care for his mother. Against that background, he has his own mental health struggles. “

‘Partners are entitled to be treated with love and respect, not to be abused and assaulted’

Appearing via video link to HMP Liverpool, Brown sat making notes with a pen and paper as he was jailed for nine months and handed a two-year restraining order. Sentencing, District Judge John McGarva said: “Any domestic assault is serious in nature. Partners are entitled to be treated with love and respect, not to be abused and assaulted.

“This is made more serious by the fact that you were under the influence of drink, by the location of the offending and by the fact that two young children were present. They must have been traumatised by what they saw.

“You were subject to a community sentence for a domestic assault on another lady. That did not stop this from happening. You are a danger to some members of the public.

“This is a case where the only way that punishment can be provided is by immediate custody. The message has to go out to domestic abusers that the court will not tolerate this kind of conduct.

“I always try to look at the best in people, but the [pre-sentence] report highlights real concerns. There is a degree of victim blaming in your case and minimisation. I just do not think that the message has got through to you, I am afraid.

“I deeply regret the fact that your mum died when you were in custody and that you missed her funeral. That is a tragedy. That is a result of you own conduct.”