Plaid MS recounts horrific experience of domestic abuse survivor to Senedd

Emily Price

A Plaid Cymru MS has given a harrowing speech in the Senedd recounting the horrific instances of domestic abuse experienced by a member of his constituency staff.

Mabon ap Gwynfor accused Donald Trump of making “misogynistic attitudes acceptable again” during his contribution on Wednesday (November 15) which he said was inspired by a special and brave girl.

During the short debate on violence against women led by the Dwyfor Meirionnydd MS, he recounted the story of Shannon Morris from north Wales who was subjected to appalling abuse from the age of seven.

Punch marks

Reading the words of Shannon, Mr ap Gwynfor said: “I was seven years old when a man entered my life, a man who would become my stepfather. It had only been a year until I began to notice the punch marks on the doors.

“By the age of nine, I witnessed the first act of violence, a scene that would become all too familiar. My mam, a woman of strength and resilience, was struck, her spirit broken, and my childhood innocence shattered. By twelve, I too had become a target. I learned to live in fear in my own home.”

Despite authorities being involved, the battle against Shannon’s violent stepfather cost her mother her home, her financial security – and almost her two children.

And sadly, Shannon’s terrifying experiences of abuse from men did not end there.

Strangled

During her teenage years she began a relationship with a man who subjected her to years of violence and manipulation.

Reading her words to the Chamber, Mr ap Gwynfor said: “When I was 17, I thought I met a man who was the answer to my troubled past, only to discover he mirrored the man my family had escaped from.

“I was pushed, physically attacked, strangled. I felt powerless. Each time I tried to leave, I was lured back by the empty promises and apologies. I finally got support and put all my faith in the justice system.

“However, on 23 December, a month after his restraining order expired, he walked into my home and held my children and I captive, where I was subjected to violence, and sexual assault. I managed to record a portion of the attack on my phone. I captured his face, voice and his admission of guilt.”

Battle

But instead of of celebrating Christmas with her children, Shannon spent 16 hours between police interviews and at a sexual assault referral centre.

Meanwhile, her attacker was arrested and released and what she naively thought would be the ending was really just the beginning.

Reading Shannon’s words, Mr ap Gwynfor said: “The aftermath was a battle against the legal system. I was told that my history of forgiveness and my childhood trauma would be used against me.

“The very things that had made me vulnerable were now being used to question my credibility. I cried out for therapy, just to be told that therapy would undermine my credibility. Despite the evidence against him, the justice system later failed me.”

Inspiring

Shannon says she now wants to inspire other women to speak out and shatter the “stigma and shame” around being a survivor of domestic violence.

She said: “It’s not just a women’s issue; it’s a human issue. We see the statistics, but behind the numbers are mothers, daughters, sisters, friends, whose lives have been shattered, whose futures have been stolen.”

After recounting Shannon’s story, Mr ap Gwynfor told the Senedd there were “fundamental problems” with the systems which are supposed to be in place to protect women.

Welsh police recorded over 45,000 cases of domestic abuse in 2022-23, and almost 10,000 sexual offences the previous year.

There is no standardisation between regions – victims in Cardiff or Merthyr Tydfil wait a year for support whilst those in Swansea wait 4 months.

Ninety-four per cent of individuals who experience sexual offences develop PTSD within two weeks – but Wales’ waiting lists for counselling are months long.

Misogynistic

Mr ap Gwynfor said: “There is an underlying misogyny at the core of this, and I am afraid that the election of President Trump in the US is going to make things much worse as he makes misogynistic attitudes acceptable again.”

Labour’s Joyce Watson said violence against women is a deep rooted “national threat” which had become an “epidemic”.

Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice Jane Hutt said that although the Welsh Government  had made progress in tackling violence against women and children, the statistics were still “horrifying”.

She said: “Bringing an end to violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence in a generation would require us to look at the whole system, which reflects the experience of victims and survivors better.”

A vigil will be outside the Senedd next Monday evening (November 18) in recognition of White Ribbon Day which encourages men to hold themselves accountable.

Shannon will attend a similar event in Llandudno on November 23 on behalf of Mabon ap Gwynfor to share her story and speak out on behalf of survivors of domestic abuse and those who sadly lost their lives to violent men.