My abusive ex punched our puppy & forced me into sex after holding me hostage for 5hrs…before attack at our baby’s grave

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HAVING recently come out of a relationship, shy Charlotte Lewis was surprised when she got an unexpected message on Snapchat from a man named Josh who wanted to see her.

“It seemed a bit too much from someone I didn’t know but then I thought, ‘What’s the harm in meeting up with someone?’” she asks.

She was about to find out…

“My life changed, for sure, in 2021,” she says. “That was the year I realised, ‘I’m in something now that I don’t know how I’m going to get out of.’”

Ahead of a TV documentary called Paul C. Brunson: Red Flag in which relationship expert, Brunson, detects early warning signs in abusive partners, Charlotte tells us how she was mentally and physically abused which culminated in a devastating attack at the graveside of their baby.

Even though he is currently in prison she is dreading his early release next May after serving just half of his sentence.

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“He seemed to have his life sorted, which was a big part of the attraction. He was a plumber and training to be a gas engineer and he was on a decent amount of money. I thought he was doing really well for himself.

“He had a car and a flat, but I later found out that the flat and the furniture inside was all provided to him on discount by the foster care system.”

Things moved fast. Within two weeks she had met his mum, who had struggled to look after him when he was younger, and Charlotte was soon spending more time at his flat than she was at her parents’ home. But his love bombing quickly turned into escalating control, raging jealousy and violence.

“I wasn’t allowed to go on Facebook or to text my mum and dad because he would look at the messages at night. I couldn’t even brush my teeth without being accused of cheating on him.

“I was in this constant battle with myself over whether I was being reasonable or he was because, whenever I brought his behaviour up with him, he would say that I was the problem. But then I’d think ‘what would my mum say?’ And I’d know I was right.

“A lot of people think that abuse is about huge moments, but it’s not just about violence. A big factor of it is control. It’s often a series of little things that happen over time that gradually changes how you see yourself and who you are as a person.”

But things were about to turn very scary in a big way.

“Two months into the relationship, we were in the car, having just left the pub, and we were arguing. He was screaming at me and I knew it was serious. It wasn’t just messing around. I was petrified. I just thought, ‘What’s next?’

“He was shouting at me, calling me names. I felt I needed to get out of the car and when I managed to, I ran off and he got out and chased after me. I managed to hide and called my mum to get me.”

To her horror, he then drove to her parents’ house and screamed to her to get back in the car or he would kill himself.

“I was worried that he would do it and that it would be my fault. I called the police and they went to check on him and he was asleep.”

Over the next few days, he bombarded her with phone calls and messages.

“He was non-stop calling me, saying he loved me. I just wanted him to leave me alone because I didn’t want this anymore.”

One evening, Charlotte was out with her family, enjoying a meal, when he began texting her again, apologising for his behaviour and promising he would never do it again.

“He really got in my head,” says Charlotte. “There was a part of me that made me feel wanted and I just fell for that. And that was the time we got Reggie, our little puppy.

“He wanted the dog, because he saw it as our little family. Reggie was eight weeks old when we got him but a day or two later, Josh couldn’t deal with the fact that he was a puppy and not trained.

“He would bang on Reggie’s cage, clenching his teeth and frothing at the mouth because he was so angry. And then he just punched him in the face. Reggie didn’t really react and I thought, ‘What else has Josh done to him when I haven’t been around?’”

Yet, still Charlotte stayed with him.

“My self-esteem was so low. He just made me think that he was my only option. I felt trapped.”

A day or two later, Charlotte and her friend were getting ready at his flat, to go to a music festival, when he physically attacked her.

“I went into the bathroom to change into some cycling shorts, a vest top and a checked shirt and he came in after me and was up in my face. He put his hands round my neck and screamed at me about what I was wearing.

“It was the sort of thing I would wear on a normal day but now he was saying how much of a sl*g I was and why was I cheating on him with other men?”

The following day, Charlotte quietly arranged for her mum to pick her up, taking her belongings and Reggie back to her house. She had been seeing him, on and off, from April to September, but after so much manipulation and abuse, she wanted no more to do with him.

“It felt like such a relief when we drove away,” she says. “But it was far from over. He was constantly messaging me, begging me to return. I didn’t contact him for a whole month.

Domestic abuse – how to get help

DOMESTIC abuse can affect anyone – including men – and does not always involve physical violence.

Here are some signs that you could be in an abusive relationship:

Emotional abuse – Including being belittled, blamed for the abuse – gaslighting – being isolated from family and friends, having no control over your finances, what you where and who you speak to
Threats and intimidation – Some partners might threaten to kill or hurt you, destroy your belongings, stalk or harass you
Physical abuse – This can range from slapping or hitting to being shoved over, choked or bitten.
Sexual abuse – Being touched in a way you do not want to be touched, hurt during sex, pressured into sex or forced to have sex when you do not consent.

If any of the above apply to you or a friend, you can call these numbers:

The Freephone National Domestic Abuse Helpline, run by Refuge on 0808 2000 247 for free at any time, day or night
Men who are being abused can call Respect Men’s Advice Line on 0808 8010 327 or ManKind on 0182 3334 244
Those who identify as LGBT+ can ring Galop on 0800 999 5428
If you are in immediate danger or fear for your life, always ring 999

Remember, you are not alone.

1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men will experience domestic abuse over the course of their lifetime.

Every 30 seconds the police receive a call for help relating to domestic abuse.

“He knew where my mum worked, where my dad worked and my brother, and he started listing them off, one by one, saying ‘I will turn up there and I will smash their head in.’”

In one angry voicemail to Charlotte, he shouted, “You’re dead! Watch yourself. You’re dead!”

In February the following year, Charlotte was alone at her parents’ home and was putting the dog out at night when she saw a shadowy figure at the bottom of the garden.

“I was terrified,” she says. “My dad works nights and my mum and my brother, James, also had night shifts on this occasion. I knew it was Josh in the garden and as he came nearer, he just pushed his way into the house, without saying anything to me.

“I asked him what he was doing there and he said, ‘I want to have sex with you.’ I said, ‘No. That is not happening.’

“It was 11pm and I fought tooth and nail against it for hours before I finally gave in around 5am, an hour before my dad came home, because I didn’t want him there when my dad came back. After having sex, he left.”

Ten days after her 21st birthday, Charlotte discovered she was pregnant.

“It was a really bitter-sweet moment because I loved the idea of having a baby but not with him.”

Her mum, Sharon warned her, “If you keep the baby, he will be in your life for ever.”

“It was a really difficult decision, whether or not I went through with it,” says Charlotte. “But I didn’t feel I could bear having an abortion.

“It was on a Facetime call that I told him I was pregnant and he just broke down, crying, saying he couldn’t believe it and that he was so happy.

“But I told him then and there, that I was never going to leave the baby in the room alone with him, purely because of how he was with Reggie. There’s no way he could deal with a crying baby on his own.

“We found out that we were having a girl and she had complications. She was diagnosed with Pallister-Killian syndrome which meant she would probably be blind, not be able to cry or move and I was told she had about five per cent chance of survival.

“After that, Josh’s behaviour went downhill. He went back to being abusive. He said to me, ‘If the baby doesn’t look like me, I’m going to stab you in the stomach.’”

Lottie Hope Lewis-Kelly was born on the morning of 24 November, 2022.

“It was amazing,” says Charlotte.

“I got told that she would probably pass away the moment she came out but she cried and she held my finger and I was so grateful. I was over the moon just to hold her. It’s the best feeling ever, being able to be a mum – even though it was only for less than two hours.”

But Charlotte realised that she would always be mum to Lottie and lovingly tended her daughter’s grave every day.

She had barely heard from Josh for six months when he messaged to say he wanted to put flowers on Lottie’s grave but that he wanted Charlotte there to do it with him.

“I didn’t want to be with him but I wanted him to be a dad towards Lottie. So he came and I was taking some pictures when I got a notification on my phone that he got really angry about.

The Sentencing Act of 2026

The UK’s latest sentencing reforms aim to reduce pressure on overcrowded prisons by releasing inmates earlier.

From 2 September 2026, most adult offenders will now be released after serving one-third of their sentence in prison, while those who would previously have served two-thirds will instead be released after serving half of their sentence.

For example, someone sentenced to three years’ imprisonment who would previously have been released after serving 18 months (50% of their sentence) will now be released after 12 months (one-third of their sentence).

Likewise, someone who previously had to serve four years of a six-year sentence before release (two-thirds) will now be released after three years (50%).

“He probably thought it was a boy texting me. I told him to leave and he did go back to his car but then, as I sat by the graveside, he stormed over and started kicking me with his heavy work boots, over and over again, on my legs and thighs.

“I was in excruciating pain. I remember screaming but nothing coming out. I was in shock. I was next to my daughter’s grave and I was thinking he’s actually going to kill me but at least I’ll be with my daughter now.”

Lottie kept the attack secret from her family for two months before finally telling them. In the meantime. she had to deal with his sickening verbal attacks.

In one shocking voicemail message, he ranted, “F**k you! F**k your dead, retarded daughter. F**k your grief. F**k the lot of you. You’re all f*****g dead to me.”

After Charlotte reported the attack to the police, he was arrested and charged with coercive control. Six other women came forward to say they had also been assaulted by him.

It took four years to go to court but on 27 June, 2025, Josh Kelly, 23, admitted controlling and coercive behaviour towards seven former partners between 2020 and 2025 and was sentenced to four years and eight months, with a 10-year restraining order.

Today, Charlotte is working as a SEN (Special Education Needs) teaching assistant, helping children, and is in a new relationship with a supportive boyfriend who she has been with for a year.

“My mental health now is a lot better, but I still get triggered when I am in a car or see somebody who looks like him,” she says. “Even though he is in prison currently, I’m still scared.

“I got told earlier this year that he is only doing half of his sentence, so he will be getting out May next year, despite only being sentenced last June. I feel I have hardly had time to breathe.

“I’m still living in fear and dread every day, thinking I might see him in ASDA or walking down the street.

“The great thing that has come out of all of this was having my daughter. I wouldn’t change that for a minute. She is my inspiration. She was alive for an hour and 45 minutes.

“She defeated all the odds and I think that if she can fight for that long, I can do the same. I think to myself, ‘If she was here, I’d want to set a good example.’ I’m still being a mum to her now but just parenting in a very different way and I am so grateful that I can still do that.