Domestic abuse survivor Rachel Williams campaigns to save lives

Now she talks about another dangerous act in domestic abuse which can lead to stroke, in her bid to make the world safer.

Rachel Williams, now 52, went through a harrowing ordeal in 2011 when her violent and abusive partner Darren shot her, causing her to spend weeks in hospital with life-altering injuries.

Ms Williams said: "When I finally did leave, over a six -week period, I was stalked, harassed, and everything else really."

Rachel Williams, a domestic abuse survivor, talks about her journey to becoming an advocate in the fight against domestic violence. She also mentions a new threat which can cause lasting damage in a matter of seconds. (Image: File)

The fatal day

Rachel recalls the story of how Darren Williams first hit her with the butt of a gun in a busy hair salon where she worked on Friday, August 18, 2011, and how she reached for the phone in an attempt to call 999.

Then she describes the moment that she saw him pointing a gun at her: "He was probably about four foot away from me, told me he loved me, and then fired a shot which my left leg took.

"Prior to that, I did have the presence of mind to pull my knees up under my chin, almost in a foetal position.

Rachel with her ex-partner Darren (Image: Rachel Williams)

"The next thing I felt a blast at the right of me," said Ms Williams.

She then describes how he "booted me under the chin and just absolutely pummelled me with stamps and kicks."

Later that day, the violent perpetrator was found to have taken his own life. This, Ms Williams said, had an extreme knock-on effect to her son, Jack, who died a few weeks later.

Despite surviving this level of trauma, Ms Williams campaigns tirelessly to put an end to domestic abuse, creating a survivor-led organisation called Stand Up To Domestic Abuse (SUDTA) to raise awareness and let victims of domestic abuse know that they are not alone.

Complexities of domestic abuse

Ms Williams, as a survivor of domestic abuse, explained how complicated domestic abuse cases are. She said: "Victims and survivors, they double question themselves constantly. Well, is he being abusive? 

"I'll come and pick you up, you know, save you walking or save you getting wet or you don't know who's hanging around. But it could be part of that control.

"Then all of a sudden, that just becomes your normal relationship."

Rachel after being shot by Darren Williams (Image: Rachel Williams)

There are other issues surrounding domestic abuse, such as the effect that it can have on children that have witnessed or experienced the violence.

SafeLives, a UK charity dedicated to ending domestic abuse, released its annual impact report in 2023. The research reveals that 23% of young people exposed to domestic abuse show harmful behaviours. This is against the mother 61% of the time.

The report also took case studies from young people and described how "domestic abuse isn't isolated: it's exacerbated by societal pressures around masculinity, patriarchal attitudes, poverty and racism." This left one young person stepping into his abusive father's role as opposed to breaking the pattern.

SafeLives released their annual impact report for 2022-23 which had some harrowing statistics. (Image: SafeLives.org.uk)

Rachel Williams goes on to discuss the severe knock-on effect that her ex-partner's actions had on their son, a stark reminder of how domestic abuse doesn't stop at the victim but can affect generations.

Ms Williams said: "People who are brought up in that environment, have a high chance of becoming either a perpetrator or a victim. You know, and it is about education."

"I came out of hospital on the Friday, September 23, 2011. I hadn't seen Jack since the day of the shooting six weeks prior. Then on the Monday, I had a phone call to say that Jack was missing from his auntie's house, where he'd been staying. 

"He was found where his father was, he had done exactly the same thing."

Non-fatal strangulation

Rachel Williams mentions non-fatal strangulation, which is not commonly discussed when talking about domestic violence.

She said: "I didn't realize the timeline of non-fatal strangulation. We worked with Alliance of Hope in America, who see non-fatal strangulation as a standalone offense.

Rachel Williams explains thatnon-fatal strangulation turns fatal in a matter of seconds, (Image: Canva)

"6 .8 seconds, there was a loss of consciousness. 14 seconds, you could have an anoxic seizure. 15 seconds, bladder incontinence. 30 seconds, bowel incontinence. The first patient who was one of the volunteers died at literally 62 seconds.

"All the volunteers who took part in the study died between 62 and 152 seconds. You only need the pressure of a handshake to kill somebody. Honestly, it's really frightening."

Ms Williams added: "Medical research points to strangulation as the second most common cause of strokes in women end of 40." 

Finding hope through campaigns against domestic violence

Since her traumatic encounter, Rachel has produced books, helped the emergency services when dealing with domestic abuse cases and created Stand Up To Domestic Abuse (SUDTA) to campaign against the crime and regularly talks to other survivors.

Rachel Williams campaigns against domestic abuse and inspires people from all backgrounds to seek help and support. (Image: File)

Rachel remembers speaking to a group of young people who were disinterested with her talk at first: "I could actually pick out all those kids that were actually existing in that environment because they could not engage with what was going on, because it becomes their normal."

Ms Williams hopes that her talks encourage conversation between victims or realisations in perpetrators.

Rachel, along with other panellists, will be attending the South Wales Argus event to celebrate the week of International Women’s Day. The theme for this year is to ‘Inspire Inclusion'.

We are telling Rachel's story as part of our Amazing Gwent Women Series, ahead of International Women's Day.