Sex assault victim recorded attack by violent partner (original) (raw)

Gabrielle Dale and Sean Owen had a "good" first year together. Then she became pregnant and they moved in together following the birth of her daughter. That was when things changed utterly.

The 26-year-old of Cardiff went on to endure years of abuse at Owen's hands, encompassing verbal and physical cruelty. He threatened to kill himself if she told police.

Eventually, after being sexually assaulted by Owen, 29, Gabrielle bravely contacted the authorities. Now, after Owen was jailed for five years, she has decided to speak out about her ordeal and waive her right to anonymity.

She said: "Even now I am walking on eggshells and looking over my shoulder. I am worried one day I am going to open my door and he’s going to be there. I genuinely thought he’s going to get his own back on me for telling my story. I am just trying not to believe it."

The sexual assault was "the final straw" as far as Gabrielle was concerned, having been strangled, chased and threated by her partner during their seven-year relationship. He also scratched the word "rat" into her car and harassed her to the point where she was forced to move house. When she told him she was going to contact the police, he accused her of mental torture and that her would be to blame if he took his own life.

Sean Owen, 29, of Pontprennau, was sentenced to five years imprisonment for sexual assault and controlling/coercive behaviour

Sean Owen, 29, of Pontprennau, was sentenced to five years imprisonment for sexual assault and controlling/coercive behaviour (Image: South Wales Police)

During the relationship, he called her an "anorexic skinny b****", forced her head down a toilet, dragged her by the hair, and threw plates and brushes at her. He also threatened to kill her, as well as saying he would kill himself.

The abuser, of Clos Y Ffynnon, Pontprennau, maintained his innocence following his arrest but was found guilty of sexual assault and controlling/coercive behaviour following a trial at Cardiff Crown Court. After he was jailed a judge referred to his treatment of his partner as "a regime of bullying and humiliation, both verbal and physical".

In a distressing audio recording played at the trial Gabrielle can be heard screaming during a horrific attack on her in June, 2019. She said she made the recording on her phone during an incident in which he was strangling her and threatening to get a knife and kill her. You can listen to that recording at the top of this article, but you may find it distressing.

Gabrielle Dale, 26, of Cardiff, was sexually assaulted by her former partner Sean Owen

Gabrielle Dale, 26, of Cardiff, was sexually assaulted by her former partner Sean Owen (Image: Richard Swingler)

Mum-of-one Gabrielle said: "It was behind closed doors. It just got worse and worse, he was the only one on the tenancy and he kept threatening to kick me out so I left and went to a mother and baby hostel.

"I ended up getting back with him and that continued throughout the whole relationship, breaking up and getting back together. We’d break up, he’d block me and when he was ready we’d get back together because he would threaten me, he threatened to set fire to my flat and broke the locks a few times."

Sean Owen scratched the word "rat" onto the car of his partner Gabrielle Dale

Sean Owen scratched the word "rat" onto the car of his partner Gabrielle Dale (Image: Gabrielle Dale)

Gabrielle Dale, 26, of Cardiff, has spoken out about the abuse she suffered during her relationship with Sean Owen

Gabrielle said her family were unaware of what was happening (Image: Richard Swingler)

She added: "He threatened to kill himself all the time. Lots of times he’d make threats to me and would threaten to get a knife when he was assaulting me. He strangled me and when I said (my daughter) needs me, he said ‘She don’t need you’."

Gabrielle said her family were unaware of the treatment she was subjected to as Owen would prevent her from speaking out. She said she believed him when he apologised but he continued his abusive behaviour. During this period, she said she felt "helpless" and family members described her losing significant weight as she wasn't eating.

Gabrielle Dale, 26, of Cardiff, has spoken out about the abuse she suffered during her relationship with Sean Owen

Gabrielle said she hoped sharing her story would help other women in abusive relationships to reach out for help (Image: Richard Swingler)

She first contacted the police in 2019 after she was chased from her house by Owen, but was persuaded to drop the charges. Gabrielle said: "Towards the end of the relationship I was doing better for myself, putting myself first and got my own voice."

The final act of asserted control came when Owen sexually assaulted Gabrielle in her own bed. The court heard he forcefully penetrated her with his fingers and when she tried to resist he did it a second time, deliberately more forcefully as a form of punishment.

Gabrielle said: "The sexual assault was the final straw, I texted my sister and I gave him the opportunity to leave in a calm way but it escalated and got out of hand again. He knew he didn’t have that control over me, he took the fuses out of my plugs, was punching holes in the wall and said he would rather be dead than go back to his mum’s."

Gabrielle Dale, 26, of Cardiff, has spoken out about the abuse she suffered during her relationship with Sean Owen

Gabrielle suffered an injury to her wrist as a result of abuse from her partner Sean Owen (Image: Gabrielle Dale)

If you, a family member, or a friend have experienced domestic abuse or sexual violence, you can contact the Live Fear Free helpline 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for free advice and support, or to talk through your options. Call 0808 80 10 800, text 0786 007 7333, email info@livefearfreehelpline.wales or go to gov.wales/live-fear-free

Live Fear Free (funded by Welsh Government and run by Welsh Women’s Aid) is a confidential service. Calls to 0808 80 numbers are free to call from landlines and mobile phones in the UK. They do not appear on itemised bills. The helpline provides support in English and Welsh, and access to an interpreter for callers with language support needs.

The Refuge charity also provides information, support and practical help 24 hours a day to women experiencing domestic violence. The service can refer women and children to refuges throughout the UK to help them escape domestic abuse. Refuge can be called on 0808 808 9999.

"I asked my sister to call the police and put the phone back on record. Because he knew I was leaving and getting strong and he couldn’t control me as much as he wanted. The sexual assault was a way of saying: ‘You’re still mine, I am still going to control you'... He drilled it into my head if I told anybody (my daughter) would be taken off me. I didn’t know what to do."

After the police became involved, Gabrielle said she was initially petrified but confided in an officer and described how descriptions of the abuse she suffered came "splurting out of her tongue". Owen was arrested as a result and was made subject to bail conditions, but Gabrielle was forced to move house over fears for her safety.

Gabrielle Dale, 26, of Cardiff, is moving on with her life with her daughter following her abusive relationship with Sean Owen

Gabrielle is moving on with her life with her daughter following her abusive relationship with Sean Owen (Image: Richard Swingler)

Gabrielle described giving evidence at Owen's trial as "awful" but after he was found guilty she felt a massive sense of relief that justice had been done. In total, the defendant was sentenced to five years imprisonment and made subject to a restraining order for the same period, at Cardiff Crown Court on Tuesday, April 25.

With the support of her family, Gabrielle said she was moving on with her life and hoped to provide an example to other women living in abusive relationships. She added: "It’s that closure, that’s all I have waited for. I want to get my story out there, there are other people in those relationships who don’t know how to leave. I want to be able to be that person for them to think, ‘ok, there’s a chance to get out of it, a way out'."

If you or someone you know is affected by domestic abuse visit the Live Fear Free website or call the helpline on 0808 80 10 800.

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