A woman who was almost killed by her crazed stalker ex-boyfriend has launched a charity to support fellow domestic abuse victims.
Businesswoman Zoe Dronfield, 39, suffered a bleed on the brain and a neck wound after partner Jason Smith, 32, launched a ferocious eight-hour attack on her on February 2 last year.
Smith stabbed her in the neck and stamped on her head leaving her with a bleed on the brain, a cracked cheekbone and a gash just 1cm from her jugular vein.
When she regained consciousness she found Smith slashing his wrists in a suicide bid but had no memory of the assault.
She feared he would escape justice until she hired a hypnotherapist who helped her piece together the details of the attack.
In March, her testimony was used as evidence in court to convince a jury to convict him of GBH with intent and criminal damage and he was jailed for 10 years.
Now Zoe, from Coventry, is trying to save women from the same hell she faced with her new charity I Want My Mummy – which supports mothers in custody battles with abusive ex-partners and campaigns against domestic violence.
The brave mum-of-two says: “People don’t seem to understand it. They say ‘why don’t they escape?’ but it’s never that simple.
“At the end of an unhealthy relationship that’s when the stalking kicks in.
“With Jason he would text me all the time when we were together and even though I now realise that wasn’t normal, at the time it was flattering.
“The jealousy wasn’t normal too, but that was also flattering in a way.
“When I ended it he was texting me constantly, asking to get back together but that would then move on to threats.
“I don’t think people realise how it escalates. One second it’s just texting, which is a nuisance but can be ignored, the next thing you know the person is standing outside your property, turning up to your place of work or moving things around in your garden.
“You’re not dealing with a stable person.
“They clearly have issues and these people should be brought before the courts and dealt with.”
Zoe, who is now in a new relationship, is calling on the authorities to increase the number of prosecutions for stalking.
She is also using her experience to help the charity Paladin, which is campaigning for a national stalking register.
