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Eddie was a cheeky chappie, a funny, carefree young man who loved football and had a heart of gold. He was 18, living at home and working at a local hotel when I noticed a twinkle in his eye. He’d started wearing aftershave and dressing up, so I wasn’t surprised when he told me he’d met a girl.

"She’s lovely, Mum, but she’s quite a bit older," he said. I learned she was 29 – 11 years his senior – and had two kids. I could see Eddie’s relief when I didn’t disapprove. Age gaps aren’t uncommon these days, and as long as it didn’t interfere with the relationship, I couldn’t see a problem.

Soon, Michelle came round for dinner. My impressions were of a polite, well-groomed and pleasant woman. The connection between her and Eddie was obvious. He was smitten, and I was thrilled for him.

(Image: John Robertson)

It wasn’t long, though, before problems crept in. He began staying at her house, but she’d kick him out in the early hours of the morning after rows. More worryingly, I started noticing scratches on his face.

Eddie would play it down. "Michelle got drunk and went mad, but it was my fault," he’d say, cagily, when I asked what happened. Naturally, I was concerned. As Michelle’s drinking and aggressive behaviour continued, Eddie became withdrawn and isolated from his friends.

‘"I love her, Mum, I want to be there for her," he’d say when I broached the subject of them splitting up. Michelle had a troubled past, and Eddie was determined to help her overcome her issues. Emotionally, it was too late to convince him. As a single mum, I felt all the weight of responsibility and worry on my shoulders.

The violence escalates

In early 2012 Michelle promised to face her demons. She stopped drinking, got counselling and, to my relief, the rows seemed to stop. But the calm was shattered one night at my house.

Hearing shouts, I opened Eddie’s bedroom door to find him in a corner while Michelle punched him repeatedly in the chest. Instinctively, I tried to pull her away, but in her drunken rage she was uncontrollable, grabbing a mug and throwing it at Eddie. I was dumbfounded. Seeing my son so vulnerable was shocking.

The next day, Eddie and Michelle decided to put the incident behind them and make another go of their relationship. In September 2012 they moved into a cottage in the next village.

Still shaken from what I’d witnessed, but conscious not to interfere, I tried to reassure myself that it was a blip, that Michelle’s healing process was continuing. Nothing prepared me for what happened on 6 November that year.

At 5.20am I was woken by two policemen knocking on the door. "There’s been a stabbing and we’re afraid Eddie hasn’t made it," one told me. It was surreal, like a dream. Trying to process the news, I remembered the text Eddie had sent me the night before, that he was having fun at a bonfire party. How could he be dead?

"I’ve got to get to Michelle, she must be devastated," I said, instinctively. When the police explained I couldn’t see her because she was being held for questioning, I assumed she was a witness, and that Eddie had been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

A shocking realisation

I thought the news couldn’t get any worse, but later that day I learned Michelle was being held on suspicion of Eddie’s murder. He’d died in hospital from multiple stab wounds after she had called an ambulance from their cottage. Michelle had admitted stabbing him. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, that she was capable of something so brutal.

My memories of the next few days are a blur. Disbelief, shock and grief took over. But I’ll never forget the mortuary visit to formally identify Eddie. It was horrific, but after everything he’d been through, the sense of peace on his face was a comfort.

The court case finally came round in April 2013. Seeing Michelle and hearing her testimony, I felt numb. She pleaded not guilty, claiming she’d acted in self-defence that night. But as I listened to the evidence, I knew there were gaps in her story.

Neighbours reported hearing screaming. Eddie was stabbed 24 times with a kitchen knife. Michelle was uninjured, and had waited 20 minutes before calling an ambulance.

It was inconceivable that Eddie had attacked her first. As the judge read out the verdict – a life sentence with a minimum of 15 years imprisonment – I felt massive relief. As far as I’m concerned, justice has been served.

The pain of what Michelle did will never leave me. But while I hate what she took from me, I don’t hate her, and I’ve never felt angry, only heartbroken. Anger and hatred won’t change what’s happened, but I can make sure something good comes out it.

Looking back, it’s clear Eddie suffered in silence in that relationship. I’m determined to keep speaking up for men like him, who’ve become isolated because of abuse and feel too ashamed to get help.

I miss Eddie, but if I can help protect even one man like him, his death won’t have been in vain.

Male victims of domestic abuse: The facts

(Image: Getty Images)

● 14.7% of men state they’ve been a victim of domestic abuse since the age of 16.

● For every three victims of domestic abuse, one will be male.

● 4.5% of men were estimated to have experienced domestic abuse in 2013/14, equivalent to approximately 737,000 male victims in the UK.

● 1.2% of men were victims of force at the hands of their partner during 2013/14.

Younger people are more likely to be victims of domestic and partner abuse than those in older age groups. If you suspect a man you know is the victim of domestic or partner abuse, the signs to look out for are:

1. A change of character in which the man becomes withdrawn and reluctant to interact with people he used to, cutting himself off from friends and family.

2. Constantly appearing nervous, apprehensive, checking his phone, etc – as if someone is watching his every move.

3. A physical change in character, eg, trying to explain away bruises and/or looking very tired and exhausted.

National charity the Mankind Initiative provides help and support for male victims of domestic abuse and domestic violence. For more information go to Mankind.org.uk.