Mum who helped run women’s refuge jailed for domestic abuse | UK News

A mum-of-two who helped run a refuge for domestic abuse victims has been jailed after driving her own wife to the brink of suicide.

Rita Araujo, 31, who worked for a domestic violence charity, was arrested after police had to talk her wife Rose Garnock-Jones down from a bridge.

Initially, 30-year-old mental health nurse Ms Garnock-Jones was reluctant to open up about why she was suicidal but then disclosed how Araujos repeatedly beat her during their five-year relationship.

When Ms Garnock-Jones said she would to the police, her partner would then threaten to kill herself.

During one assault, Araujo – who was pregnant at the time with couple’s youngest child – used her forearm to throttle her victim until she could barely breathe.

Ms Garnock-Jones who refused to fight back for fear of hurting their unborn child reported suffering severe pain while bending down to treat patients and is now off work sick and receiving Universal Credit.

In a statement, Ms Garnock-Jones, of Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, told how she lived in fear of Araujo beating her up again and drank heavily to cope.

‘I had thought of taking my own life to end the trauma which culminated in going to the wrong side of the bridge,’ she said.

‘Police pulled me back from the edge and I finally talked about what I had been through.

‘Life has not been the same and I think it never will be again. After one assault I struggled every day to cope and I was too scared to sleep at first.

‘In order to cope with the months since Rita has left, I have had the support for many professionals and I’m not sure how I would have coped without those as the mental and physical impact is so severe.’

At Chester Crown Court, Araujo was jailed for 28 months after pleading guilty to controlling and coercive behaviour, assault and trying to pervert the course of justice.

The court heard the pair had began dating in 2017, married and had two children together, but prosecutor Myles Wlison said: ‘Police first became involved in the early hours of Sunday, October 23, 2022 when officers were called out to reports that Ms Garnock-Jones, was on the wrong side of the safety barrier at Northgate Bridge in Chester City Centre.

‘She disclosed she had been having some personal issues but would not elaborate in any detail.

‘Police spoke to a friend of hers who was present who said Ms Garnock-Jones had disclosed how the defendant had been violent – but at that stage Ms Garnock-Jones did not want to make a statement of complaint.’

After the incident on the bridge, Ms Garnock-Jones made a statement about incidents which took place over 16 months, beginning in 2021.

The first incident occurred in April 2021, after Araujo had suffered a miscarriage – then barricaded herself in the bedroom, repeatedly threatened to kill herself and smashed a tower fan against the foot of the bed in front of their baby son.

Mr Wilson said: ‘Ms Garnock-Jones picked up the son trying to shield the baby from the defendant as she trying to take the baby.

‘She then struck out and scratched Miss Garnock-Jones down her back.

‘The couple tried marriage counselling however, the defendant would become verbally abusive, calling her wife “lazy” and “pathetic”.’

In one altercation, they were in bed together when there was an argument and Araujo got on top of the defendant, and punched her a number of times before pressing her forearm into Ms Garnock-Jones’s throat, pushing downwards and preventing her from being able to breathe.

In September 2022, Araujo called Ms Garnock-Jones a ‘psycho’ and pulled her hair when she tried to call 999 after their son swallowed a toy.

Mr Wilson added: ‘The victim picked their son up who was present and left. She tried to contact domestic abuse support and returned home later that night in the knowledge that her mother would be visiting.

‘In autumn 2022 on the night she was found on the bridge, Ms Garnock-Jones had been to a baby shower with friends in Chester and had disclosed the defendant’s behaviour and felt unable to go home.

‘She made her rather bland statement to police at that stage saying there had been no violence.

‘Later the defendant had told her that if she did complain the social services would take the children away and the defendant would lose her job.

‘Days later, the defendant gave birth to their daughter who was born prematurely.

‘The defendant tried to blame that on Rose Garnock-Jones, blaming her for the stress.

‘By this stage Ms Garnock-Jones was at the end of her tether and she recorded a lengthy phone conversation they ad in which she was confronting the defendant about her behaviour.’

In December 2022, Ms Garnock-Jones went to the police about her ordeal. After Araujo was told not to contact her wife while the investigation took place, Mr Wilson added: ‘She was making constant threats to harm and kill herself if sent to prison and it made Ms Garnock-Jones feel guilty. The defendant said she wanted the relationship to resume and she wanted to return to the family home.’

Araujo tried to tell Ms Garnock-Jones what to say in court, and even asked her to change her victim statement – resulting in the victim reporting her to the police agian.

Araujo – who had previous convictions -gave no comment in police interview.

She was in custody for seven months at Styal prison awaiting her sentence.

Her counsel Justin Smith said his client was ‘genuinely remorseful’ and said: ‘She was a positive member of society and working in an area of stress. She did that diligently and she was proud of what she did.

‘We then have this period which was an aberration and she was taken away from her children, one of whom was nothing but a newborn baby. The impact of this has been significant, and it has been very difficult for her to cope.

‘She now has the fear and dread of being deported back to Portugal following her sentence. ‘

Sentencing the judge Mr Recorder Ciaran Rankin told Araujo: ‘You are clearly an intelligent woman highly thought of by those who know you and you have been for a great deal of time a positive member of society working in a very difficult and stressed environment.

‘But your offending is aggravated with the issue that you used to be a team leader at a domestic abuse charity. These offences represent a violation of trust which exists between people of an intimate and family relationship.

‘They are aggravated in their totality because of the steps you have taken to prevent the reporting of incidents, the presence of children on a number of events, and the domestic violence situation.’

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