A WOMAN has revealed how ‘Siri’ saved her life as she was being beaten and sexually abused by her convicted criminal partner.
Emma-Louise Kelly, 34, was attacked by her then boyfriend Lee Thomas, 45, at her home in Chorley, Lancashire, on January 11 after they came back from dinner together.
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The mum of one was slapped, punched, kicked, strangled as well as verbally and sexually abused for over 30 mins by vile Thomas who has since been imprisoned for six years and four months.
Police only arrived at her house and arrested Thomas after Emma-Louise shouted at Siri to “call 999” whilst she was helplessly at the thug’s mercy.
Emma-Louise, who bravely waived her right to anonymity in order to speak out, hopes by sharing her story it will empower other victims of domestic abuse or sexual offences to come forward and get justice.
Emma-Louise said: “I thought I was going to die – I was desperate and helpless.
“I was being punched, kicked, and abused. The whole time I was scared and all I could think about was my little girl.
“I was shouting for Alexa and Siri to call 999 and the police about ten minutes into it all.
“I didn’t speak to the operator over the phone but the police turned up at my house about 20 mins later and stopped it. They must have traced my phone number to the house.
“I’m so grateful for Siri for connecting to the police as if she didn’t I might not be here – she saved my life.”
Emma-Louise first met Thomas in 2022 at a drug recovery hub where she was volunteering, revealing that they “hit off” straight away.
She said: “We hit off as soon as we met each other. It didn’t take long until we were in a relationship and things became official.
“He seemed like a nice guy taking steps to change his life for the better like I was.”
Emma-Louise grew up in Blackpool, Lancs., where she was a DJ for 12 years from 2007 aged 16.
Whilst there and in the scene she said she “fell in with the wrong crowd” and often binge drank and took party drugs.
She lived this lifestyle for a decade until in 2017 her dad, Nicholas, passed aged 55 in March as well as giving birth to her daughter, now aged seven, in October, she decided she needed a change.
Emma then searched for a new home and moved to Chorley, Lancs., in 2019.
But after meeting Thomas at the recovery hub Emma-Louise said it initially seemed he had appeared to have turned his life around though it transpired he was secretly using drugs.
He also kept returning to his ex-partner in Rawtenstall, who she said was also a user.
In that time unbeknownst to Emma-Louise, he was also part of a gang that flooded Accrington and Rossendale with class A drugs.
Thomas was later charged with conspiracy to supply crack cocaine and heroin, and possession with intent to supply heroin and MDMA for his role in the gang.
He was then sentenced to four years’ imprisonment in February 2024 at Preston Crown Court.
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Emma-Louise said: “After he was put in jail, I moved on with my life and carried on.
“Then he got in touch with me about 7 months later in August to say he had done really well in prison, that he’d turned his life around, and that he’d been a recovery mentor inside.
“I decided to give him another chance when he got an early released in September. At first everything was fine.”
Emma-Louise went on to describe how she and Thomas went for a meal on January 11 2025, and after he briefly left to drop the car home, his behaviour changed when he returned.
The mum said: “He was getting jealous of people speaking to me – men and women.
“He threatened to glass me in the face – at that point, I thought, ‘this isn’t the man I know’.
“He had never been violent towards me in the past, so this was really scary so I decided to go home separately.
“When I got back, he was already there. It was quite apparent he had maybe smoked some crack or taken cocaine, because the look in his eyes was different.”
‘HORRIFIC ABUSE’
Emma-Louise then described the abuse that unfolded in her house saying it started with slapping, then punching, then kicking.
She recalled how the assault lasted for around 35 minutes in total, saying: “He winded me and strangled me until I passed out.
“When I came back around, he punched me again. The worst part was that he was calm and calculated.
“He was giving me constant verbal abuse in between his actions.
“There was also sexual assault. He said he was checking to see if I’d cheated on him. It was horrific.
“It was about ten minutes I began shouting to my Amazon Alexa to call the police and also shouting at my phone ‘Hey Siri’ and giving the command to call the police.
“Luckily, Siri connected my phone to the 999 service. I didn’t speak to the operator but they could hear everything.
“The operator was trying to hold it together, trying to be professional.
“When I listened back to the call recording at court, you can hear the operator saying ‘oh my god he’s going to kill her’.”
Emma-Louise said around 20 minutes later she heard sirens outside before officers entered her house through the front door and arrested Thomas.
The mum visited the hospital the next day where doctors performed a head scan and checked for broken bones.
Emma-Louise suffered a concussion alongside a cut on her forehead, and bruises all over her body from where Thomas punched and kicked her.
Women’s Aid advice
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 – messageinfo@supportline.org.uk.
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.
Emma-Louise said those who attended the scene “saved her life” as well as the life of her Belgian Malinois dog, named Kiki.
Kiki has since had to undergo nine weeks of intensive training at a residential camp due to the trauma after developing anxiety from not being able to leave her crate and “save” Emma-Louise.
Thankfully, her daughter was not at the house at the time of the incident.
Thomas, now of Yarrow Road, Chorley, but previously of Rawtenstall, pleaded guilty to assault by penetration, assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
He was given a sentence of nine years and four months at Preston Crown Court on August 14, made up of a six-year, four-month sentence and a further three-year extended licence period.
He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for an indefinite period, and a lifetime restraining order was imposed between him and Emma-Louise.
Emma-Louise has since moved away from Chorley with her daughter and her dog.
She has also started a new job as a recovery practitioner after working hard at multiple drug and domestic abuse recovery organisations for over three years.
Emma-Louise said: “I want to inspire other women, whether they’re in long, abusive relationships or one-off attacks, to know that justice can be served and that they don’t have to hide or be ashamed.”
Domestic abuse – how to get help
DOMESTIC abuse can affect anyone – including men – and does not always involve physical violence.
Here are some signs that you could be in an abusive relationship:
- Emotional abuse – Including being belittled, blamed for the abuse – gaslighting – being isolated from family and friends, having no control over your finances, what you where and who you speak to
- Threats and intimidation – Some partners might threaten to kill or hurt you, destroy your belongings, stalk or harass you
- Physical abuse – This can range from slapping or hitting to being shoved over, choked or bitten.
- Sexual abuse – Being touched in a way you do not want to be touched, hurt during sex, pressured into sex or forced to have sex when you do not consent.
If any of the above apply to you or a friend, you can call these numbers:
Remember, you are not alone.
1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men will experience domestic abuse over the course of their lifetime.
Every 30 seconds the police receive a call for help relating to domestic abuse.
