When judicial systems fail to protect victims from post-separation abuse, they give abusers the freedom to continue it. Legally.
I didn’t understand how vulnerable I was because I had trusted him. I had no job, no business, and had a minimum amount of savings. I had a rented property in the UK, and the rent was covering the mortgage of £430 per month, which left me £120 per month.
Within the week of his return to Spain, he had made several life-changing decisions.
- Ended our relationship.
- Wanted to sell the Spanish house.
- He wanted to sell his UK home.
Here’s what his post-separation proposal or offer said.
- When you move out of Las Zinas, I will gift you 35,000 GBP so you can choose to pay off your mortgage on your Sunderland property, providing you with a regular rental income.
- I will also help you buy a house in Spain that you can also own outright by gifting you a further 75,000 EURO.
- I will also pay your removal and legal fees.
- If you’d like to take any furniture from Las Zinas, then please feel free to do so.
- You have been very clear that you want to move on as quickly as possible. (No, I never said that) if you want to move out straight away, I am willing to help you rent somewhere until you can find and move into a new house.
What I didn’t understand was the systemic failures in the justice system.
I had the belief that I would have protection and support from organizations that are meant to be there for survivors of gender-based violence. I was shocked by how things unfolded. I’m not alone in this situation; thousands of women go through this type of abuse with hardly any support. Post-separation abuse that plays out in the legal system.
Help from the British Embassy
On the 8th of October, I requested help from the British Embassy as I have free legal representation in the women’s court, but I did not have his name or contact details. The British Consulate in Alicante intervened, and I was given the contact details of the free solicitor. I texted him on the 8th; he informed me he had heard nothing from the court since May. By the 22nd of October, I was informed of a date for a hearing in 2025.
On the 30th of October, the criminal defence solicitor contacted me to inform me that the judge had dismissed the final two allegations against me. The news is bittersweet. As I have no compensation for the false allegations that have been made against me, not even the court costs have been recovered from the plaintiff. However, the eviction date was processed and is still set for December 19th 2024, six days before Christmas.
In my first book, I wrote about the gaps in the laws and the failings in the legal process I experienced. I’m now writing the sequel to document what has happened since 2021.
