Laying helplessly on the floor, mother-of-four Joanna Hinchcliffe was convinced she was going to die as her husband, Adrian Geary, repeatedly stamped on her head and dragged her by her hair like a rag doll.
The brave 37-year-old, from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, had suffered four years of control and violence at the hands of Geary, 36.
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As well as frequent horrific physical assaults, Joanna was required to abide by a list of sick rules, including only speaking when spoken to, with Geary ‘punishing’ her if she broke them.
She wasn’t even allowed to sleep in their bed while on her period, instead he forced her to sleep on the sofa.
But his vicious attack in March this year saw Joanna bravely report him to the police.
Geary admitted attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent and four counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Last month, he was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison, with a further four years on licence, at Leeds Crown Court.
Now, Joanna is speaking out to help other survivors of domestic abuse.
She says: “I’ve been left haunted by the damage that Adrian did to me. But I’m determined to use my experience to help others. I’ve been given a second chance at life and I won’t waste it.”
Joanna met Geary in March 2020 through mutual friends.
Their relationship progressed quickly, with him moving in after just a couple of weeks of dating when Covid-19 hit.
Joanna says: “Adrian was amazing and treated my one-year-old son like his own.”
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In June of that year, Geary proposed to Joanna. But it wasn’t long before he started to change.
In August, during an argument, Geary forced their bedroom door into Joanna’s foot, causing a nasty wound to her toe.
Joanna says: “He said it was an accident and I believed him.”
In March 2021, Joanna and Geary married in a small ceremony with just two witnesses. But immediately after, his abuse escalated.
Joanna explains: “I spent every day trying to please him, yet I was nothing but his slave. There were so many rules that I had to obey, like only speaking when spoken to.
“He put me down so much that I started restricting myself to 750 calories per day. He’d even force me to make him a coffee in the middle of the night.
I spent every day trying to please him, yet I was nothing but his slave. There were so many rules that I had to obey, like only speaking when spoken to.
Joanna Hinchliffe
“It got to the point where he wouldn’t even allow me to go to bed on my period. His rules constantly changed, making it confusing and impossible to keep up with.”
Eventually, Joanna felt obliged to write notes on ‘how to be a good wife’.
If she accidentally broke Geary’s rules, he’d ‘punish’ her, in the form of physical violence or withholding affection.
Joanna says: “By the summer of 2021, he’d isolated me from everyone. I had nobody to turn to.”
‘He was going to kill me’
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In September that year, the couple were on a caravan holiday in North Yorkshire, when they started arguing. Geary punched Joanna in the nose, causing two black eyes.
She remembers: “When we got home, I called in sick to work. When I eventually went in, I tried to cover my bruises, but my colleague noticed.
“I told him I’d hit my nose on the corner of the table. He took me to a pharmacist, who said I’d suffered a broken nose.”
Two months later in December, during another violent outburst, Geary punched and stomped on Joanna’s ribs.
Joanna remembers: “I felt my ribs snap. I begged him to take me to hospital but he refused. The pain was horrible and I couldn’t move for weeks.”
Joanna says Geary used anything he could find as a weapon, from coke cans to phones and remote controls.
She was constantly covered in bruises from where he’d attacked her.
Joanna says: “I desperately wanted to leave the marriage, but Adrian convinced me that if I did, my kids would be taken away from me.”
In March 2022, Joanna’s mother suddenly passed away aged 59, but Geary gave her just three days to grieve, claiming that he ‘didn’t want to see her upset’.
Then, in September of that year, Geary strangled Joanna while they were in Gran Canaria on their belated honeymoon.
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Joanna says: “I thought he was going to kill me.”
The following year, in April 2023, another horrific assault saw Geary repeatedly punch Joanna to the head, causing a deep gash.
Joanna managed to ring Geary’s dad, who came and removed him from the home. She fled in a taxi to Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield, where plastic surgeons stitched her up.
HOW YOU CAN GET HELP:
Women’s Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
- Always keep your phone nearby.
- Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999.
- Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
- Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
- If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – [email protected].
Women’s Aid provides a live chat service – available weekdays from 8am-6pm and weekends 10am-6pm.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
Joanna says: “Back home, Adrian blamed me for drawing attention to myself. By now, he wouldn’t let me go anywhere, and nobody could come into our home.”
In March this year, Geary spent the day playing pool with friends.
When he returned home at 11:15pm, he pulled Joanna’s hair, before punching her in the face.
Joanna says: “He finally let go and I told my children that we were going to grandad’s. I knew we needed to get out of the house.
“But Adrian heard me and started punching and stamping on my face.”
Geary dragged Joanna around the floor by her hair and smashed her head on the TV in her son’s room.
He then pulled her onto the landing and repeatedly stamped on her face, before smashing her head on the top step of the stairs.
Joanna says: “By some miracle, he let go and I told my children to go to our neighbour’s house.”
Geary called the police to report his attack, but claimed it had never happened before. Officers attended and while some arrested Geary, others rushed Joanna to hospital.
There, she had a CT scan, which confirmed she’d suffered concussion.
He finally let go and I told my children that we were going to grandad’s. I knew we needed to get out of the house. But Adrian heard me and started punching and stamping on my face
Joanna Hincliffe
In September, Geary admitted attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent and four counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
In November, he was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison, with a further four years on licence, at Leeds Crown Court.
Joanna says: “I’ve heard he’s in a category C prison, which I think is a joke given how dangerous he is. But I’m so grateful to the emergency services who have helped me.
“I want other survivors to know that there is support out there, and that there is a way out.
“I genuinely thought Adrian would kill me.”
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