A CRUEL girlfriend branded her lover's feet with a scalding iron and put lit cigarettes up his nose in a sickening campaign of abuse.

Ian McNicholl suffered fractures to his skull, cheekbones, nose and ribs, and severe burns at the hands of twisted Michelle Williamson.

4 Ian McNicholl had cigarettes shoved up his nose and was branded by an iron in a year-long campaign of abuse Credit: PA:Press Association

The fiend wore her boyfriend down with psychological abuse before taking complete control of his finances.

She also began controlling his daily routine - right down to what time he ate and began depriving him of sleep.

Williamson was locked up for seven years in 2008 at Grimsby Crown Court but brave Ian has decided to speak out to raise awareness for male domestic abuse victims.

He said: "The violence had absolutely no boundaries. I believed that she would kill me.

4 Michelle Williamson controlled every aspect of Ian's life Credit: SWNS:South West News Service

4 The fiend wore him down psychologically before the abuse turned violent Credit: PA:Press Association

"Ultimately she took over my life completely. It was like being possessed.

"If you're going to sleep at different times, waking up at different times - sometimes at 3am - if your meal times are all over the place it begins to psychologically disable you."

Williamson's year-long campaign of abuse began when she told Ian her brothers were involved in organised crime and drug dealing, and would kill him if he ever tried to end their relationship.

She then racked up thousands of pounds of debt in Ian's name and would force him to speak to her whenever he popped to the shops for her cigarettes.

But the psychological abuse soon turned violent and Williamson branded Ian with a hot iron and forced lit cigarettes up his nose.

4 Williamson was finally jailed after a neighbour called the police Credit: PA:Press Association

Terrified Ian went along with his violent girlfriend's mind games to avoid being attacked - including giving her full control of his life.

He said: "I woke up when I was told, I went to sleep when I was told - if indeed I was allowed to go to sleep.

"I ate when I was allowed to eat. I ate food I had no choice over. I spoke when I was spoken to - I was like a TV set and Michelle held the remote and she pressed all the buttons."

Ian voluntarily took a few months off work as a consultant to the civil service and stopped seeing his colleagues and friends.

But it took neighbours more than a year to call police - with Ian believing the alarm would have been raised sooner if he was a woman.

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After Williamson was jailed, Ian was left in accommodation run by the Salvation Army after the debts she created forced him out of his home.

But he has turned his life around and now works as an ambassador for men's helpline the ManKind Initiative.

Ian said: "I take opportunities to raise awareness, whether it be with the police or members of the public - just to raise awareness so that people look out for the men in their life the way they quite rightly look after the women in their life."

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