A mum feared for her life so much she leapt from a balcony to escape her footballer boyfriend after he threatened to "put her to sleep."
Amy Beckley, 30, had been dating Shaquille McDonald for just six weeks when he flew into a jealous rage and subjected her to a vicious domestic attack in her Sutton Coldfield flat. The former Birmingham City youth striker, 28, was jailed on Wednesday (October 18) at Birmingham Crown Court over the assault.
Before the attack Beckley described McDonald as the 'perfect' partner before he turned into an 'animal' on a night out on March 4 of this year. "He was kind, caring, thoughtful, affectionate and accepted that I was a single mother," she told BirminghamLive.
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But after a night at the Arcadian in Birmingham city centre, everything changed. During the evening out firefighter Amy chatted to some people she knew, including a doorman. The conversation didn't sit well with McDonald who called her a "b*tch" and a "sl*t" before gripping her in a headlock and forcing her into a taxi.
On the drive home the assault continued. "He was biting me and I had got scratches on my face," Amy said. "He slapped me too. All in the 20-minute taxi ride. He had an issue because I work in an environment with a number of men."
The footballer's rage continued when they got to Amy's flat in Streetly. He snatched her phone and grabbed her by the throat, forcing her into the property where he strangled her on her bed and told her her: 'I'm going to make you sleep."
"He kicked me on the floor. That’s when they think one of my elbows was broken. He said, 'That’s it, play dead.' I could feel my eyes were going. He dragged me and got me on the bed and he was on top of me strangling me."
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At one point McDonald left the room, and Amy, believing he'd gone for a knife and was going to kill her, called 55 – a silent 999 call. Amy said when he returned he strangled her again and she started to lose consciousness.
She managed to both herself and McDonald before getting up, running through the flat onto the balcony, and jumping 14ft to the ground below. Luckily a neighbour was having a cigarette outside and dragged a dishevelled, bleeding, Amy into his flat, where he shielded her from McDonald.
The thug, of Dart Street, Bordesley, also played for Coventry and Tamworth during his stint as a professional football player.
He received a sentence of two years and eight months for assault occasioning actual bodily harm and non-fatal strangulation. However, having already served seven and a half months on remand, he will be released earlier than that.
Amy said she had picked up on McDonald's short temper before, but added he wasn't physical towards her until that night. Asked about her former partner's sentence, she said she was pleased he was behind bars but added she would remain 'affected' by what she went through.
"I will have to live with this forever. It’s affected me massively how I review relationships," she said.
"But I now feel that empowerment to share my story. Even if it helps just one woman who has thee strength to go to the police then I have done something positive from this."
If you or somebody you know has been affected by this story, contact Victim Support for free, confidential advice on 08 08 16 89 111 or visit their website, www.victimsupport.org.uk.
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