WARNING, DISTRESSING CONTENT: Liz Shanks, 37, managed to capture her partner Chris Forrest on CCTV committing a string of violent attacks at their South Lanarkshire home
A thug who committed a string of attacks on his partner was caught after she installed a secret camera.
Liz Shanks, 37, was able to use the chilling CCTV to aid bring Chris Forrest to justice after she suffered years of violence. She had set up a camera to keep an eye on her pet dogs while she was at work, but instead captured the sickening assaults on her from Forrest.
One of the clips shows Liz and Forrest sitting on the sofa when he stands up and gets on top of her, pins her down on the sofa and strangles her. He can be heard screaming, “you are going to die in my f*****g hands you wee cow” as she gasps for breath.
In another video which was deemed too distressing for publication, Forrest is seen pinning Liz to the ground and throttling her in the driveway of her home. After years of abuse, Liz finally took the recordings to police in 2020.
Forrest was jailed for just 27 months in 2022 after he admitted abusing his partner between July 2017 and August 2020.
Liz, of Blantyre in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, said: “In 2020, I realised that I was really fighting for my life. I was walking on eggshells with him. I didn’t know if I was ever doing the right thing or the wrong thing.
“At some point he’s going to grab me so hard and choke me so hard I can’t breathe, and there’ll be nothing I can do about it. Because he was so big and so overpowering, I just couldn’t do anything.”
Forrest reportedly only served around 13-and-a-half months. Liz believes the justice system failed her and has since campaigned for changes to the way domestic abuse cases are handled.
The first physical attack of many happened in 2017. Following an argument at home, Liz said Chris came downstairs and grabbed her by the throat.
WARNING, DISTRESSING PHOTO
She said: “It caught me by surprise, so I started to cry because I got such a shock, and when I started to cry, he stopped.” The attacks continued intermittently over the following years, but the violence became more severe in 2020.
During one attack, Liz said Chris ripped the headboard from the bed and threw it across the room before grabbing her and pinning her against a wall. She said he then forced banknotes into her mouth while insulting her.