Sex abuse survivor, 41, who is too terrified to walk to the shops because her ex is still tormenting her from behind bars ‘feels trapped in her home’… and can’t move because ‘she can’t get funding to safeguard a new house’
A sex abuse survivor has lost all access to safeguarding in her home – despite her dangerous former partner’s impending release from prison.
Gemma Willis, 41, was subjected to terrifying and degrading assaults from her partner between 2014 and 2017.
Richard Ridley sliced her neck with a garden trowel, beat her until she became unconscious and smothered her entire body and hair in salad cream during drug-crazed attacks.
Once, convinced that she was hiding her ‘lover’ in their mattress, he stabbed it with crossbow bolts before ripping it apart and hurling it out of the window, forcing Gemma to sleep on the floor.
The jealous thug would also put her through perverse examinations to check she hadn’t been with another man and threatened to kill her and her family if she left him.
Eventually, terrified Gemma reported him to police. He appeared before Teesside Crown Court where he admitted to two sexual assaults, two common assaults, two counts of criminal damage and one of affray.
Last year, he was released, but within days Gemma received unsolicited social media contact from his associates and he was recalled to jail for breaking the terms of his licence.
He is due to be freed again in October but Gemma has been told if she moved from her house, which she shares with her 15-year-old son, she would receive no safeguarding help.
Gemma Willis, 41, underwent terrifying and degrading assaults from her partner between 2014 and 2017
Richard Ridley would subject Gemma to perverse examinations to check she hadn’t been with another man and threatened to kill her and her family if she left him
The safeguarding budget she initially received paid for a fireproof letterbox, security locks, heavy-duty doors, 6ft fencing and spotlights but one person cannot access the funding twice.
So if she wanted to move it would have to be to an ‘open house’.
She said: ‘Me and my son feel trapped in our home, I daren’t even walk to the shops because when I do I suffer abuse from Richard Ridley’s friends.
‘He and his associates know where I live and I just wanted to leave and move somewhere else, even out of the area completely.
‘But there was a safeguarding meeting at my home last year when he was about to be released from prison and I was told if I moved again I would not have safeguarding measures installed.
‘When I asked why, they said that I had already used my allocated share of the safeguarding budget and would only be able to get what they called an open house.
‘I now feel I have no option but for me and my son to stay where we are, but we’ll be looking over our shoulders for the rest of our lives because the intimidation has never stopped despite Richard Ridley being in jail.’
In 2018 Ridley’s then-girlfriend Toni Walker was convicted of identifying Gemma in a Facebook post, protesting Ridley’s innocence – even though he admitted the ordeal he subjected Gemma to.
Gemma has been told if she moved from her house, which she shares with her 15-year-old son, she would receive no safeguarding budget
Walker was fined £120, and ordered to pay £85 costs and £30 charges.
Then Ridley began posting social media messages from prison, bragging about the easy life he was having in HMP Holme House, Stockton-on-Tees.
In one of the messages he posted: ‘They can lock the locks but they can’t stop the clocks,’ a phrase that holds a particular terror for Gemma.
She said: ‘What he meant by that is that although he’s under lock and key, time is running down and he will be getting out.
‘I feel that message was targeted at me, because it’s exactly what he used to say to stop me reporting his abuse.
‘If I threatened to go to the police about his violence towards me he would always say that he might get jail time, but one day he would get out and he’d come for me.
‘To emphasise that, he’d say: “They can lock the locks but they can’t stop the clocks.”
‘That exact phrase was called to me last year by one of his friends when I was out at the shops and it terrified me. I feel in direct danger of being harmed – or worse.’
Ridley was released in February last year and within a fortnight Gemma started seeing concerning activity on social media.
She said: ‘Almost as soon as he was out of prison he began adding my friends, which was worrying to see but there was nothing I could do about that because it was not directed at me.
‘I was already very anxious because a friend had overheard a pub conversation among his friends about his imminent release and my friend came to warn me I should watch my back.
‘Then I noticed that a man had liked my Facebook dating profile. But when I looked at the picture I realised it was one of Richard’s closest friends.
‘The picture showed him erecting a middle finger and I knew it was intended to intimidate me so I went to the police.’
She was later told by her liaison officer that Ridley had been recalled to prison for ‘failing to comply with a condition on his licence’. She felt relieved, but it was short-lived.
Gemma said: ‘I have been informed that he’ll be trying for release again this October and would be appearing before a hearing.
‘I sent in a statement to be read out at the hearing but I was told it was too long and detailed and was asked to edit it down. I couldn’t believe it, I wanted the parole board to have every single detail in front of them.
‘It feels as though the victim is always the last person to be heard, if they are heard at all and more needs to be done to protect us.
‘I feel as though I am the one serving the prison sentence while he can brag on social media about how easy his life is in jail, the roles have been reversed and I’m still the one suffering and in fear.’
After being contacted about Gemma’s plight, housing group Thirteen pledged to ‘look again’ at her case.
Kay Glew, housing and communities director at Thirteen, said: ‘Keeping our customers safe is always our priority at Thirteen. We’re committed to supporting survivors of domestic abuse, and we take any concerns about safety in the home extremely seriously.
‘To support Ms Willis, we put a range of additional security measures in place in her home, reflecting her preference to remain in the property.
‘We’re here to help our customers with their housing options and applications to move home, and we’re in touch with Ms Willis to make sure she has our support if she decides that moving is the best choice for her.
‘If Ms Willis decides to move, we would look again at what safety measures are needed, so we can put the right support in place for her at her new address. This can be reviewed at any point, whether she remains in her current home or moves elsewhere, so that she always has the protection she needs.
‘For any urgent concerns about immediate safety, we would always advise contacting the police straight away.’
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government said: ‘Gemma’s story is absolutely heartbreaking – we’re determined to help victims of domestic abuse like her.
‘We’re providing £30 million extra this year including support to help victims remain in their homes safely. We have also appointed Richard Wright KC to lead the Stalking Legislation Review to make sure the law on stalking is fit for purpose.
‘Local authorities are responsible for decisions on support measures, but we want councils to do everything they can to ensure victims get the strongest possible protection in their own homes.’