It breaks my heart to write this. But it is necessary and I can do hard things. Anyway, me writing it is nowhere near as painful as the pain Holly Newtons mum and family and friends are going through.
Holly was 15 and lived in Northumberland. She had been seeing a lad she met at cadets. She stopped seeing him and life got worse.
She told her mum he’d said if he couldn’t have her, nobody could. They didn’t realise he actually meant it.
He followed her after school one afternoon. She was with a friend (who happened to be male) After waiting for them outside a pizza shop, he persuaded her to go to talk in the back lane where he stabbed her 36 times in an attack that lasted one minute.
Take some time out to count to 60………….
One minute is an agonisingly long time when you’re sitting still, never mind when you’re being attacked with a knife.
I don’t want to dwell on those moments for Holly. This story is horrific.
My point in writing this?
We have an epidemic of male violence to females.
We need lessons in schools (all schools) on what abusive behaviours look like at the start
Non abusive men need to step up and challenge
Those in power need to get their fingers out and make this happen.
Thank you for reading.
My deepest condolences to Holly’s mum, family and friends.