WHEN Rebecca spotted a familiar face at the bus stop she never imagined it would be the same face to haunt her for the rest of her life.
Dan Wide had been in the year above her at school and was friends with her older brother and she had no reason not to trust him.
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But after striking up a relationship with ‘charming’ Wide she quickly discovered that he was jealous and possessive, prone to unpredictable outbursts.
To her horror, two years after breaking free of the relationship, Wide, now 33, turned up at Rebecca’s door and subjected her to a tirade of abuse before raping her.
But what he hadn’t realised was that Rebecca* had captured 45 minutes of his abuse on camera, and with the support of a friend, finally reported him to the police last year.
On April 10 2025, Daniel Wide, 33, appeared at Cardiff Crown Court where he was sentenced to 15 years after admitting rape and sexual assault by penetration.
Rebecca, 28, says: “I truly believe I could have died that night and I’m going to grab my second chance with both hands.”
Rebecca had always known Wide to be a ‘troublemaker’ and a ‘player’ but when she bumped into him years later she wondered if time had changed him.
She says: “Sitting next to me on the bus, we chatted about our lives.
“He was funny and charming, and I felt flattered that he liked me.
“He asked me back to his for drinks and after some persuasion I said I would if he walked me home.
“He agreed and after chatting some more at his, sparks flew, as he walked me to my door and kissed me, I knew we’d end up together.”
The next day Rebecca was thrilled when Wide asked her to be his girlfriend.
Their relationship moved quickly and just a week later Rebecca took it a step further when she invited Wide to move in with her.
“I’d been looking for a place to live and when a flat came up a week later and I asked Dan to move in with me,” she says.
FAST ROMANCE
“It was fast, but before we’d met, I’d been struggling with my mental health and he made me feel as if I needed him.”
But within days, the fairy tale crumbled.
Rebecca explains: “One day, I’d replied to a message from a male friend and innocently added a kiss at the end of it.
“But Dan picked up my phone and questioned why I was sending kisses to another man.
“I tried to explain it had been an accident but Dan jumped off the bed, grabbed me by the hair and threw me against the wall.
How to report a sexual assault
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“It was terrifying and I was on high alert for days.”
After that incident, Rebecca says that Wide’s behaviour became increasingly unpredictable.
UNPREDICTABLE BEHAVIOUR
She says: “Sometimes, he was loving, while on other days he’d flip over something small.
“Once, he scrunched up a tea towel and smashed it into my face, before straddling me and biting me on the nose.
“I walked on eggshells and ended up sleeping through the day to cope.”
Rebecca, who had a difficult relationship with her family, says that she had no one to confide in.
Two months later, after a trip to the pub, tiredness hit and Rebecca headed to bed.
“Suddenly, I woke up after feeling a sharp pain between my legs,” Rebecca says.
“All I could see was Dan’s silhouette looming above me.”
To Rebecca’s horror, she realised that Wide was sexually abusing her using a wooden spoon.
She says: “I sat up, horrified, Dan looked possessed.
“I asked him what the hell he was doing but he told me he was just ‘playing around.’”
Rebecca then noticed an array of kitchen items spread across the bed, and wondered if they had been used on her too.
“Dan told me it was just a joke, I felt like I was his possession but in that moment, I was so under Dan’s control, I didn’t realise that he’d sexually assaulted me,” she adds.
“Afterwards, I felt dead inside.”
WHAT IS CLARE’S LAW?
Also known as Domestic Violence Closure Scheme, Clare’s Law is intended to provide information that could protect someone from being a victim of attack.
The scheme allows the police to disclose information on request about a partner’s previous history of domestic violence or violent acts.
It was brought in across England and Wales in 2014.
The scheme was introduced after 36-year-old Clare Woods was murdered by her boyfriend in 2009.
Mum-of-one Ms Wood was strangled and set on fire at her home in Salford, Greater Manchester, in February 2009 by George Appleton, who had a record of violence against women.
Her father, Michael Brown, campaigned for the introduction of Clare’s Law, arguing her death would have been prevented had she known her partner’s history.
The introduction followed pilot schemes in four areas – Greater Manchester, Gwent, Nottinghamshire and Wiltshire – since September 2012.
Following the incident, Rebecca struggled to deal with the trauma of what had happened.
She says: “I’d sleep to try and block it out, only getting up for food or to go to the bathroom.
“When I heard his key in the lock at 5pm, I’d cower under the sheets but that angered him too.”
PUBLIC OUTBURSTS
Rebecca says that Wide’s aggressive outbursts continued, and they weren’t confined to their home.
“One day, we were at a pub beer garden when Dan almost pushed me over,” she says.
“But just as we started walking away, a woman caught up with me and asked if I was alright.
“I was so scared that Dan might hear that I just nodded.”
A few months later, in 2022 Rebecca found the strength to end their relationship.
2 YEARS LATER
She says: “I rang the police and got a restraining order and shortly after, I heard he’d got a new girlfriend.
“I’m finally free, I thought.”
But almost two years later, Rebecca was horrified when Wide turned up at her house demanding to talk.
“I could tell he’d been drinking and he started ranting at me,” she says. “I had no idea how I was going to get him out and then suddenly I had an idea – I’d record him on my phone.
“I told him I wanted to go to bed and asked him to leave but he told me I was his ‘slave’ and he could ‘do what he liked with me.’
“To my horror, he videoed me on the toilet, then threatened to rape me.”
After 47 minutes of his verbal abuse, Rebecca ended the recording because she wanted to go to sleep. But Wide refused to leave her property.
Instead, he forced himself against her, removed her clothes, and raped her.
“I started crying hysterically, begging him to stop. The pain was excruciating,” Rebecca says. “Afterwards, he just got up and walked out as I lay in a heap on the bed.”
The next morning Rebecca messaged a friend and asked if they could meet.
“I poured out everything that had happened and played the voice recording,” she says. “She was so shocked and told me to go to the police right away.
“It was as if something clicked inside me, I realised I couldn’t let him get away with what he’d done.”
Rebecca reported Wide to the police and after she’d made her statement and been examined, Wide was arrested.
After listening to the recording, the officer told Rebecca she had a strong case.
JUSTICE SERVED
On April 10 2025, Daniel Wide, 33, appeared at Cardiff Crown Court to be sentenced after admitting rape and sexual assault by penetration.
The court heard he had 11 previous convictions for 15 offences, including for domestic abuse and a prison sentence for ‘a relentless campaign of harassment and stalking’.
Rebecca says: “If I’d been aware of Clare’s Law and looked him up at the start of our relationship, I would never have got involved.”
Addressing Rebecca, Judge Daniel Williams said Wide’s actions had had a ‘profound effect’ and he posed a high risk of future harm, particularly to ex and potential future partners.
He told Wide, “You were calculated and determined to do harm, and I am sure you enjoyed the fear and agony you caused.”
Judge Williams passed an extended 15-year sentence comprising 10 years in prison for rape and a licence period of five years.
He would also serve a concurrent sentence of eight years in prison for sexual assault by penetration.
Wide was made the subject of a restraining order preventing him from contacting Rebecca indefinitely. He was also put on the sex offenders register.
Rebecca read out a powerful victim impact statement highlighting how deeply she’d been affected by what he’d done.
She said: “This is not just a sad and tragic case – this is my life and my sad reality.
“How do I explain in a couple of sentences how a person can be alive but feel so dead inside? Our relationship was all a lie.”
Rebecca adds: “Seeing his face was horrendous, but I felt as if I’d taken my power back.
“Since the attack, I’ve built bridges with my family and their support and love has helped me immensely.
“Now, I’m sharing my story so others in my situation can see that anything is better than the life they’re living with their abusive partner.
“If there’s an opportunity to get out, please act on it – it could be a matter of life and death.”
*Name has been changed
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