Maisie Henderson was pregnant with Freddy Smith’s child as he attacked her with weapons including a sword and razor blade.
After enduring humiliating and violent abuse so frequently it started to feel routine, Maisie Henderson says she is now embracing her new life after seeing her despicable ex-partner imprisoned.
Smith, also known as Campbell, received a six-year prison sentence after admitting to charges including wounding with intent, strangulation and controlling or coercive behaviour.
Now, having finally broken free from her nightmarish relationship, Maisie has shared her harrowing experience with Chronicle Live.
The mother-of-two, from Ryton in Gateshead, has described how she was terrorised within her own home. The 24-year-old was expecting Freddy Smith’s child when he assaulted her on a number of occasions.
The manipulative thug even forced her to consume his blood during one horrifying episode.
The mother-of-two, from Ryton in Gateshead, says she now craves nothing more than a quiet existence.
She explained: “I feel like it has taught me to be more positive in a weird way. I look at things through a different lens. I’m happy just living in a house where it’s peaceful now. I live a boring life now. Everything is just about keeping me safe.”
Maisie first met Smith during her school years and they began dating when she turned 17.
“I always thought he was lovely,” she recalled. “I was really happy. But there were things that happened that if they happened now I would know they were red flags. We used to split up and get back together all the time.”
However, it was when Maisie became pregnant with her first child that Smith started displaying physical aggression. Newcastle Crown Court was told how numerous assaults occurred between 2021 and 2022, even though Smith was aware his partner was expecting his baby.
She endured attacks using a “variety of weapons”, including a razor blade, a metal weightlifting pole and a sword, the court heard.
Smith, 24, of East Lea, Winlaton, Gateshead, launched an assault on Maisie in December 2021 by hurling a mug and a chair in her direction.
He also exercised coercive control by preventing her from using her mobile phone or looking in mirrors whilst at his home.
Around New Year 2022, Smith wielded a sword to pierce her lower leg and foot, resulting in severe bleeding. The puncture wounds left her permanently scarred.
In March 2022, he smashed a glass bottle against her finger, leaving it severely bruised.
During another incident, he inflicted injuries by slicing her left thigh with a razor blade whilst she showered, creating a deep gash that exposed underlying tissue and left permanent scarring.
In a separate attack, he struck her head with a metal pole, causing it to split open. In July 2022, he accused her of infidelity before strangling her, beating her legs with a metal pole and delivering approximately 25 punches.
“It was really scary,” Maisie said. “I knew I was pregnant, I can remember just lying in bed praying my baby was going to be all right. It was horrible. I had never been through anything like that.”
Maisie revealed that following each assault, Smith would weep and attempt to manipulate her into pitying him. “He would cry afterwards and said he didn’t understand what he was doing,” she explained.
“He would look for my sympathy. He brainwashed me into thinking it was okay. Then something else happened and it was the same thing over and over. In the end it just became normal to us.
“It’s very difficult to know how I felt. It was hard to understand what was going on.”
Smith was arrested after Maisie’s mother reported her missing and police arrived at their property.
“He wouldn’t let me leave the house and he wouldn’t let me go on my phone,” she explained.
Smith pleaded guilty to wounding with intent, wounding, four counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, strangulation and controlling or coercive behaviour. He was jailed for six years with an extended licence period of a further three years and given a restraining order.
“It was a relief, but it was very hard on the day he was sentenced,” Maisie said. “I thought I should feel different but I didn’t. I just felt the same.”
Maisie is now attempting to rebuild her life and has returned to college where she is pursuing nursing and midwifery qualifications.
“It’s left an impact on me,” she said. “I’m very fearful of people. I’m not very trusting. But my life itself is a lot better. I have gone back to college, I have got my two kids and I have got all my friends and family back.
“I don’t think of my son as his now. He’s his own person. It doesn’t even pop into my head.”
