Moment abusive boyfriend grabs lover by the throat in unprovoked assault – as she bravely reveals her home violence hell to assist others

Distressing footage shows the moment an abusive boyfriend grabs his partner’s throat and punches her, as the victim speaks out with the aim of helping others.

The mother who was left with horrific injuries after being attacked by her ex-partner has urged domestic abuse victims to speak out and get help.

Miranda Bury, 35, had black eyes, bruises all over her body and swollen lips after being abused by her then-boyfriend Joshua Carney, 30.

A shocking video, captured by a doorbell camera, shows Carney grabbing Ms Bury by the throat and punching her.

The couple are loading a van together in apparent calm, when Carney suddenly puts his bike in the back and lunges forward to punch Ms Bury’s lower body.

She shouts ‘Josh!’ before he grabs her throat and the video cuts off.

A man who seems to be assisting the pair walks off as Ms Bury’s screams are audible.

Carney of Fleetwood, Lancashire, was sentenced to 23 weeks in prison this month after pleading guilty to two counts of actual bodily harm and harassment towards Ms Bury.

She has now spoken out about her ordeal, telling other victims that, contrary to what your abuser might convince you, help is available.

The mother-of-four said: ‘It’s easy to say “talk to someone” but that’s the hardest thing in the world.

‘He made me believe that nobody would ever listen to me or believe me.

‘Once you say it out loud to someone, it makes it real and you realise what situation you are actually in.

‘It’s very, very scary how much another human can actually destroy your self worth.

‘But you don’t have to accept it. There is so much more out there for yourself and for your own worth.

‘I wish I never had to experience any of this but it’s made me so aware when it comes to friendships and other relationships and what I should and shouldn’t stand for.’

Ms Bury met Carney on social media in 2019 and she said he made her feel like ‘she was the only person in the world.’

But after around four or five months, he started to make derogatory comments about her appearance.

Then he became violent and physically abusive.

‘There would be the odd push or shove but again, I dismissed it because I didn’t want to believe it,’ Ms Bury said.

‘I blamed myself and said it was my fault. I convinced myself that I caused him to push me and be verbally abusive.

‘But looking back, it wasn’t my fault.’

Ms Bury said her mental health suffered and she could not tell what behaviour was ‘normal’ in a relationship.

‘I had spoken to him about past relationships and how I was feeling and he would use that as a weapon and use that against me.

‘He made it so I had no self worth or self confidence, he took everything from me.’

Ms Bury said that Carney forced her to wear hoodies and leggings in the summer and she stopped wearing a full face of makeup to avoid his nasty remarks.

Carney also ignored Ms Bury for hours. Then, when she became distressed, he behaved as if ‘nothing was wrong’ .

The beauty therapist said: ‘He came into my house one day and he never left.

‘He ticked every single box and I didn’t think there were any red flags at the time. He was too good to be true.

‘As soon as he got his feet under the table, he basically moved in.’

Ms Bury said Carney began making hurtful comments and his behaviour gradually deteriorated from that point.

‘He would say things like “what are you wearing that for?” or “wear something else”.

‘He made me second guess myself all the time and I wanted to keep him happy, so I complied.

During summer, Ms Bury wore modest, heavy clothing to keep Carney happy.

‘We had a scorching summer one year and I was sitting in my garden wearing shorts up to my knee caps and was in a hoodie,’ she said.

‘I didn’t want to think about his behaviour because I wanted to make him happy, there wasn’t anything that I wouldn’t do for him.

‘If he was happier because I was covered up or because I had my hair extensions taken out, then I didn’t mind.

‘He made it so I was so dependent on him.

‘I used to wear a full face of makeup, and have done since I was 15, but it slowly went down to wearing nothing.’

In 2023, Carney was given a short prison sentence after pleading guilty to non-fatal strangulation and actual bodily harm.

But Ms Bury said she rekindled her relationship with him regardless because he was able to manipulate her, aware of how much she wanted him to change for her.

‘When I was pregnant, it wasn’t a fairytale and it was really hard for me to know if I was doing the right thing or not,’ she said.

‘I was promised the world. I wanted him to change and I wanted to be the person to change him.

‘I always thought that he loved me so much, he would change for me.

‘We had split up but were in contact for our son and then he wormed his way back in.’

Ms Bury said instead of communicating solely about their son, Carney began to ‘show his caring side’ by asking about her wellbeing.

‘I thought I was strong but I wasn’t.

‘Then he hit me once again and that was the final point. I thought that enough was enough.

‘I feel like a completely different person now.’

Carney was sentenced at Preston Crown Court on March 5.

He was given 23 weeks in jail but, as he already served time on remand, he was allowed to walk free.

Ms Bury, who was also given a restraining order against Carney, thinks the sentence disproportionate to Carney’s level of offending.

‘He was inside for seven months so he has already been punished but, to me, it was very lenient because of how bad our relationship was.

‘I am still trying to digest it but I was granted a restraining order, which was the main thing that I wanted.’