A WOMAN who was strangled and had hot gravy thrown at her by her then-partner from Rhyl days before her father died said his abuse “just compounded my misery”.

Shannon Mullan, a 29-year-old mother-of-four from Mostyn, was attacked by Phillip Hill, who had become resentful of the amount of time she was spending caring for her dad, on August 16.

Her father, Ben, died on August 19, having been diagnosed with lung cancer 17 months earlier.

Hill, 33, of East Parade, was jailed for 15 months at Mold Crown Court on October 28, for what Judge Rhys Rowlands labelled “absolutely appalling” behaviour at a time when Ms Mullan “must have been terribly vulnerable”.

Phillip HillPhillip Hill (Image: North Wales Police) He was also issued with a five-year restraining order to protect Ms Mullan, with whom he had been in an “on-off” relationship for five years, and has three children.

On August 16, Ms Mullen told Hill she was going to visit her father and then a friend; he responded to this by throwing a hot pan of gravy at her and saying: “I’m f***ing sick of this.”

Upon her return home that evening, Hill placed both of his hands around her throat, slapped her to the face, and used his body weight to “pin down” Ms Mullan.

Ms Mullan read aloud her victim impact statement in front of Hill in court, in which she said her children are now “scared he’ll come back and hurt me”.

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Rhyl man threw gravy at partner and strangled her days before dad died

Following the sentencing, she told the Journal: “I just wanted to stand up for myself, and show him that he’s not brought me down and that I’m still a strong person.

“When you go through something as traumatic as your dad dying, you want people to support you. It’s one thing to hurt your partner; it’s another to hurt them while they’re going through that.

“From the day we found out my dad had lung cancer, he (Hill) was really abusive towards me, hating the fact I was away from him and the kids.”

Ms Mullan said that, on the day she received “the worst news of my life”, that her dad had cancer, she was subjected to “nasty” abuse from Hill “straight away”.

As her mother is disabled and her brothers work full-time jobs, much of her father’s care fell on her shoulders.

She said: “He’d say things like: ‘Your dad’s had 60 years and your kids have only had four or five years. You’re neglecting them for him’.

“He hated me leaving the house without him. He was just really controlling. It was just abuse right from the start.”

Ms Mullan said Hill’s abuse has caused her to suffer constant panic attacks, while she is also looking to move house and now locks doors more frequently.

His actions, she added, have also left her children “just devastated”.

She said: “I’m petrified that, when he comes out of prison, he’s going to hurt me, despite the restraining order. I felt like he was watching me all the time.

“My children have had enough to deal with from losing their grandad. They’ve lost all their male role models in their lives. It’s so unfair on them.

“It upset them so much. When my daughter was ill last week, she was crying for her daddy. That almost makes me feel guilty, when I’m just trying to keep myself, and them, safe.”

Ms Mullan urged anyone being subjected to domestic abuse to “just leave”, to “keep your strength”, and to not be “isolated”.

Now, she said she is looking forward to “rebuilding my life again” with the court case behind her.

She added: “If you feel like you’re being abused, listen to your gut feeling. I put up with it for years, and it ended up in a violent situation.

“If you feel like you’re in that situation from the start, just leave. It can be scary, but that’s the best thing to do before it escalates. From what I’ve seen, nine times out of 10, it usually does.

“Once you notice little red flags, like controlling and manipulative behaviour, I’d just say to leave them. Listen to your family, because they can see things you might not see.

“Always listen to advice, and make sure you keep connections with other people, because they’re who are going to save you at the end of the day.

“You need to have safe places to go, and ports of call, in case something bad does happen. You need those people to uplift you, and keep you on the right path, and tell you you’re doing the right thing. At the end, it will be worth it.

“At least I’ve got time now to get things in place for me and my kids when he does come out. I’ve got some time to breathe.”

  • Women can call The Freephone National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
  • Men can call the Men's Advice Line on 0808 8010 327.