A BRADFORD woman has spoken of her "horrible" experiences at the hands of a violent ex-partner, amid new figures suggesting that domestic abuse increased at the start of the coronavirus lockdown.

The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, said her former partner hit her, raped her and tried to control what she wore, where she went and who she spoke to.

She said it left her feeling like a "wreck" and that it "definitely had an impact" on her then-teenager daughter, who was caught in the middle.

She shared her story with the help of Kate Hames, a Bingley author whose book Say the Word gave survivors a space to vent anonymously. Her story was one of many told in Kate's book, which was published in May 2020.

Last week, it was reported that domestic abuse incidents in West Yorkshire rose when we first entered lockdown, according to data the Telegraph & Argus obtained from West Yorkshire Police.

In March 2020, there was a 6.1 per cent rise in domestic violence reports made to the force when compared with the previous month, while July 2020 had the highest number of such incidents reported to West Yorkshire Police in three years.

Although the abuse the woman suffered happened "years ago", she argued that the way society deals with domestic violence "hasn't changed", while many survivors often harbour feelings of guilt, and sometimes even think the abuse may be their own fault.

She added that many also feel "too ashamed or scared" to report their abuser, also saying that she herself was "infatuated" with her former partner, and still "tried to see his good side" despite the abuse.

"It was horrendous. I was a mess, I was shaking and crying all the time", she said.

"I bought him loads of stuff and gave him loads of money. When you fall in love with someone, you want to make everything good for them. That's what I was like, but he took advantage.

"He was horrible. He hit me and wouldn't let me talk to my friends. He told me what to wear, how to have my hair and if I went out, he'd follow me. He bashed my car in and would damage my house. He had a very good hold of me.

"I reported him to the police when he raped me, but he was never convicted. I don't think my kids knew the half of what was going on."

After seeing the data, the woman said she was "not surprised" at the increase in reports over lockdown.

"Abusers are devious, when lockdown started they thought 'I'm in luck, I can do what I want to this person and nobody will know'", she said.

"The policeman who visited me back then was kind and sympathetic, but I think the public have now lost trust in the police, which makes it harder for people to come forward.

"My advice is to believe in yourself, try to be brave and come forward - I did it, so you can too."

In the years since, the woman's situation has improved and she now leads a "happy" life.

"Speaking with Kate allowed me to get it off my chest. It helped a lot, she's amazing", she added.

"My ex-partner has tried to get in touch with me again, but I ignore it. I've got a secure life now, I'm very happy."

Services and organisations which can offer help and support can be found by clicking here, with further support also available here.