Abuse Victim’s Plea After Ex Sent Down

The ex-wife of a Port Talbot businessman jailed for brutally assaulting her in the middle of a road has called on victims of domestic violence not to suffer in silence. Colin Evans drove his car into the back of his then estranged wife Cerri’s vehicle before launching a horrifying attack on her.

He was sent to prison for 158 days at Neath Magistrates Court yesterday.

Now Ms Evans, aged 40, has spoken for the first time of the attack and urged other victims of domestic violence to come forward.

The couple were married for around 24 years until their divorce last September. They had separated two years earlier.

Forty-year-old Mr Evans, of Park Street, admitted two charges of assaulting his ex-wife.

The first offence, on April 4 last year, happened when Ms Evans was waiting in her car at traffic lights in Commercial Road, Port Talbot.

Her husband drove up behind her and crashed into the back of her car, the court was told.

When she got out of her car to ask what he wanted he walked up to her and punched her with a clenched fist.

Prosecuting, Andrew Smith, said: “She couldn’t recall how many times he hit her, or with what.”

The force of the attack knocked his wife back into her seat, but Evans grabbed her wrist, hauled her back out, and pulled her hair.

As she managed to get back into the car, Evans said: “I won’t be happy until you’re dead.” He then pulled his car in front of hers and sat blocking her path for some time.

The attack left her with a bruised face, chest and a sprained wrist.

While on bail for that offence, Evans attacked his wife again.

The second time he kicked her after following her into the Lord Caradoc pub in Port Talbot.

He raised his arm as if to continue the assault but was restrained by other people in the pub.

“The attack left her devastated – she was scared all the time,” said Mr Smith.

David Hussell, defending, said Evans had no previous convictions and was remorseful.

District judge Richard Williams said: “I have to sentence you for two episodes of violence against your former spouse.

“The first involved a collision you engineered with the complainant.

“You then attacked her in the street in what struck me as a brutal way. You then wanted to play mind games by placing your vehicle in front of hers further to intimidate her.”

He jailed Evans for 108 days for the first offence and 50 more for the second.

After the hearing, Cerri Evans urged other victims of domestic abuse to seek help from Women’s Aid and the police.

She said: “There is help out there, but you have got to go and get it – take a step forwards.

“It has taken me years to get to where I am now. You have got to do it yourself – you have got to be that strong person.”

Mrs Evans said she felt sad it had reached this point.

But she added: “At the end of the day, I had no choice, it would have carried on.

“He’s a businessman, but people should know the truth of what is going on behind closed doors.”