Eloise Bennett was the victim of what a judge described as a “horrific campaign of abuse” at the hands of her then-husband Reice, including repeated strangulations and punches which left her with severe injuries.
Her home life became hell as something as minor as cooking a meal he wasn’t in the mood for could lead to extreme violence.
She reported the abuse to the Met Police in February 2023 but it wasn’t until June this year that Reice was charged.
He pleaded guilty to coercive and controlling behaviour, assault causing actual bodily harm, threats to kill and intentional strangulation. He received a suspended sentence meaning he left the court a free man rather than in a prison van.
Sentencing judge Recorder Timothy Corner KC referenced the delay in the case as among the reasons Reice didn’t go to prison, “having this matter hanging over you has clearly had a detrimental effect on you” he told the offender.
The judge added that the delay had allowed the 27-year-old to show “how much he had changed since the offences”.
Eloise, 30, said: “He should be behind bars but he’s not. I just feel gutted and let down.
“I gave them everything they could possibly need – photos, videos, texts of him threatening to kill me – he had no choice but to plead guilty but it didn’t get to court for over two years.
“I was chasing them all the time and I was worried sick. It had a huge impact on my life and my children’s lives. Then the delay ends up working in his benefit. It’s not my justice.”
Eloise remembers the feeling of shock the first time her husband hit her.
“I was seven-months pregnant and Reice decided that he was going to pack his bag and go to Amsterdam with a friend. I wasn’t happy about it and was giving him the silent treatment when suddenly he just got so angry and punched me in the back,” Eloise said.
“We both just sort of stood there and looked at each other in shock. I think he was as shocked as me that he had done it. Then he just finished packing and left for Amsterdam. He came back a few days later as if nothing happened.”
From there the violence escalated and life at her Eltham home became a misery as punches and strangulations became routine.
“Anything could start it. One time I made chicken fajitas for dinner, that wasn’t what he wanted so he strangled me until my eyes went fuzzy and I started blacking out. I thought I was going to die,” Eloise said.
“When he was getting violent he would say ‘go in the other room’. At first, I wouldn’t go because I knew what was coming but he would drag me anyway. Later I would just go because I didn’t want the kids to see it and get upset.”
Eloise spent months covered in bruises, trying her best to hide them from her kids, but it wasn’t just physical violence. Reice also exercised financial control as well as control over who she could and couldn’t see.
“Other times it would just be him deliberately making life hard for me. One time he stood at the top of stairs, got a packet of crisps and poured water into it, crushed it all up then poured it down the stairs and said ‘clean it up girl’.”
Eventually in February 2023, Eloise confided in family and then reported the abuse to police.
“Officers came round that evening and took a statement. I showed them the photos of my injuries and I still had a black eye.
“One said they’d been in the police for years and this was the worst case he’d seen. They even called him a monster and told me that obviously I had done the right thing,” Eloise said.
Reice was arrested within hours but was released under investigation. From there Eloise said everything “moved at a snail’s pace”.
“There were times I just felt like giving up because it felt like nobody was taking it seriously. The communication with the police was disgusting, I’d go weeks and months without hearing from them about what was happening. In the end I just gave up chasing them,” Eloise said.
At one point Eloise had to re-send large amounts of evidence including photos and videos, a police spokesperson said this was not because evidence had been lost but because “some of it was not exhibited when first received”.
The Met said the delays in Eloise’s case sat with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) as their IT system repeatedly rejected files uploaded by police officers.
The CPS said it had no records of IT issues with the police’s attempts to send files.
The CPS said the Met sent its initial file of evidence to them on December 11 last year – 22 months after Reice’s arrest – but a prosecutor reviewed the evidence and sent the file back to the Met with a request for further “key evidence and material”.
The full file of evidence was eventually received by the CPS on June 10 this year and CPS lawyers authorised the Met to charge Reice on June 13.
A CPS spokesperson said backlogs continue to present a “huge challenge” for the entire criminal justice system and that they are working with others in the system to address this.
They said police are the main contact for victims but their prosecutors have met with Eloise to discuss the case.
Many domestic abuse survivors like Eloise have similar experiences – with police and court delays alongside overcrowded prisons being cited as factors which lead to a suspended sentence.
Ellie Butt from domestic abuse charity Refuge said: “Too often, survivors are failed by the very systems that are supposed to protect them.
“We regularly hear from women who have faced inadequate police responses and lengthy delays in bringing their perpetrator to trial. This is in the context of very few cases ever reaching a court or resulting in a conviction.
“We recognise that the criminal justice system is under immense pressure due to years of underfunding and understaffing. However, this cannot excuse putting survivors’ wellbeing and safety in jeopardy.”
There have also been reports of defendants “gaming the system”, pleading not guilty and asking for a trial – often with a date set several years in the future – in the hope that the victim may not attend to give evidence or withdraw their support for the prosecution.
The government said its “once-in-a-generation” reforms to get rid of jury trials for certain offences will get swifter justice for victims.
Ms Butt said: “Charges and convictions for domestic abuse offences remain alarmingly low given the scale of the issue. For the few cases that do proceed to court, the process can be incredibly slow and deeply traumatic.
“At Refuge, we’re supporting survivors who are now being given trial dates as far away as 2028. Many tell us that these excessive delays are preventing them from healing.”
Eloise said: “Something needs to change. If people like Reice know they can do this and get away with it, there’s going to be an increase in domestic violence.
“People will think ‘she’s pissed me off so I’ll give her a little smack because I’m not going to get anything for it’.
“And especially with strangling which can so easily kill someone, we’re going to see an increase in murders.
“I’m still glad I went to the police and I’d urge any woman in that situation to do the same – I have my life back and my kids are safe, but the fact is that he should be behind bars and he’s not.”
