THIS is the horror moment a snarling abuser was caught on a dog-cam throttling his ex-girlfriend following a three-year reign of terror.
Christopher Forrest told Elizabeth Shanks, 35, “you’re going to die in my hands” during the brutal attack.
Brave Elizabeth has now shared the chilling footage as she calls for a change in the law.
Forrest was jailed for just 27 months in 2022 after he admitted abusing his partner between July 2017 and August 2020.
Elizabeth is now calling for longer sentences for domestic abusers who enter early guilty pleas.
She told the Daily Record: “The man who attacked me got off lightly. I had to fight for him to get a prison sentence.
“He got time off for pleading guilty but showed no remorse. This was even commented on by the judge but he still got time off, then only served half that sentence. The justice system needs to change.”
Forrest could be seen in the footage grabbing Elizabeth by the hair and shoving her against a wall.
The attack was secretly caught on a dog-cam at their home in Blantyre, Lanarkshire.
Forrest told Elizabeth “I don’t care if I go to jail, you are going to die in my hands you wee cow” as he throttled her.
She could be seen desperately trying to push Forrest away as she struggled to breathe.
The thug was also captured snapping off a windscreen wiper after forcing Elizabeth against their car.
The court was told controlling Forrest would trawl Elizabeth’s social media and accuse her of cheating while they were together.
They broke up in 2017 but kept in contact over the home where the attacks took place.
As well as the jail term, Forrest was also handed a ten-year non-harassment order and placed on a one-year supervision order.
Sheriff Linda Nicolson said at the time: “The violence was outrageous and was an attack to the danger of life. The level of violence was appalling.
“The harm caused to your victim was significant. The severity must be reflected by the court.”
Despite her sentencing remarks, Elizabeth believes more can be done to punish domestic abusers.
How you can get help
Women's Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
- Always keep your phone nearby.
- Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999.
- Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
- Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
- If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – messageinfo@supportline.org.uk.
Women’s Aid provides a live chat service – available weekdays from 8am-6pm and weekends 10am-6pm.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
She took her campaign to Holyrood – the Scottish Parliament– where she joined other survivors supporting a change in the law.
It came after vile Forrest continued to target Elizabeth from jail – launching a civil case to claim a sofa and TV he claimed belonged to him.
Thankfully the case was thrown out but she was still dragged through another ordeal at her ex’s hands.
Elizabeth said: “Civil and criminal courts don’t share information. This needs to stop.”
