I thought my evil ex was going to kill me and was so relieved when the police showed up – then they arrested ME

GASPING for breath, Danielle Secker felt her eyes rotation backmost into her caput arsenic her fellow pinned her against the wall, squeezing his limb against her neck.

Terrified for her life, she lashed retired astatine thug Jamie Cannella, 34, seeing him merchandise his grip.

Moments later, though, helium strangled the helpless mother-of-one.

Despite his vicious assault, it was Cannella who called 999, telling constabulary that Danielle had a weapon and was ‘threatening to termination herself’.

When 5 officers arrived, Danielle, 26, hoped they’d instrumentality Cannella into custody.

However, an serviceman announced, “You’re nether apprehension for communal assault”, earlier handcuffing Danielle and driving her to the station.

For 18 hours she was held successful a compartment earlier officers realised she was the unfortunate and released her without charge.

In July 2024, Cannella was recovered blameworthy of controlling and coercive behaviour, intentional strangulation and existent bodily harm. 

He was jailed for 5 years astatine Luton Crown Court.

Now, Danielle is speaking retired to rise consciousness of home abuse.

Danielle, from Luton, says: “I couldn’t judge I was arrested that night, adjacent aft explaining what Jamie had done to me.

“It was horrific being placed successful a compartment and made to consciousness similar a criminal.

“They should’ve listened to me, not that manipulative monster.

“I’m conscionable relieved he’s yet disconnected the streets incapable to harm anyone else.”

Danielle met Cannella successful 2015, astatine a day party, erstwhile she was 17.

Within weeks Danielle claims Cannella became controlling, isolating her from friends and family. 

Danielle, who works successful a school, says: “I conscionable thought helium was being protective astatine first.”

In January 2018 the brace moved successful unneurotic and the pursuing month, things took a sinister crook erstwhile Cannella locked Danielle successful the location to be a funeral, not returning until the aboriginal hours of the adjacent morning.

When Danielle questioned wherever he’d been, helium flipped.

She remembers: “He grabbed maine by the pharynx and punched maine successful the face.

“Afterwards helium told maine to leave, truthful I went to enactment astatine my grandparent’s house, covering the nasty bruise connected my chin with make-up.”

The pursuing day, Danielle’s manager astatine enactment noticed the people and asked astir it.

After confessing Cannella’s attack, she escorted her to the constabulary presumption wherever she made a statement.

But blinded by love, she decided not to property charges.

Over the adjacent fewer weeks Cannella grovelled and the brace got backmost together.

A period later, Danielle fell large but astatine 11 weeks, she sadly mislaid the baby, nevertheless she says Cannella didn’t connection her the enactment she truthful desperately needed.

She says: “Jamie couldn’t person cared less. 

“While I ran retired of the country aft the sonographer confirmed determination was nary heartbeat,  helium barked ‘you’re an embarrassment’, it was awful.”

Over the pursuing years, Danielle walked connected eggshells astir Cannella earlier yet falling large again.

Terrified of Cannella’s reaction, she kept it concealed until she was 5 weeks on and helium pushed her down the stairs.

As she tumbled she revealed that she was expecting erstwhile again.

Danielle says: “Thankfully astatine an ultrasound the pursuing week showed the babe was OK.

“And astatine archetypal Jamie was excited.

“But erstwhile helium recovered retired it was a girl, helium complained helium wanted a boy.

“Nothing I ever did was bully enough.”

Cannella’s convulsive outbursts continued and erstwhile their daughter, Vallentina, present two, was calved successful April 2022, his maltreatment continued.

Soon after, helium punched Danielle successful the look during an statement and erstwhile she tried to escape, helium blocked her way.

Danielle called her auntie for assistance who notified the police.

Cannella was arrested but Danielle, terrified of the imaginable of being a azygous mum, didn’t property charges again.

In December 2023, Danielle was dealt a further stroke erstwhile she discovered he’d been seeing an ex.

She says: “When I confronted him, helium punched maine successful the face.

“Then helium grabbed my hairsbreadth and dragged maine astir the hallway. He past pounded the broadside of my head, earlier stomping connected my back.”

Cannella wasn’t finished. 

As Danielle went to comfortableness her baby, who was crying, helium pushed her against the wall, placing his limb against her neck.

She remembers: “I couldn’t breathe. His eyes were achromatic with rage.

“He told maine ‘I’m going to enactment you to sleep’.

“Thinking he’d termination me, I lashed out. Holding his keys, I scratched his nose.”

After releasing his arm, Cannella yelled for an ambulance, earlier strangling Danielle again.

Bizarrely, erstwhile the battle was over, helium called the police, claiming Danielle had a weapon and was threatening to ‘kill herself’.

While Danielle dropped her girl astatine a neighbour’s, 5 officers attended the address.

Cannella tried to person them Danielle was ‘out of her mind’.

Danielle recalls: “One antheral serviceman took maine speech successful the room and I was hysterically telling them astir his attacks.

“Despite disposable bruising implicit my look and body, including reddish marks to my cervix and clumps of hairsbreadth missing, helium told maine I was nether arrest.”

With that, she was handcuffed and escorted to a constabulary van.

At the presumption she was booked in, but upon seeing her injuries, an serviceman drove her to Bedford Hospital.

Thankfully, a CT scan showed everything was normal.

Danielle explains: “I was taken backmost to the presumption wherever officers interviewed me.

“I revealed each astir Jamie’s abuse.

“Yet I was kept successful a compartment for hours.”

“The pursuing morning, I was released with nary further action.”

Meanwhile, Cannella had been arrested and charged with controlling and coercive behaviour, intentional strangulation and existent bodily harm.

He denied each the charges.

In February 2024, earlier the trial, Danielle received a written apology from Bedfordshire Police successful narration to her arrest.

The probe into behaviour said that the absorption and determination making during the incidental was ‘extremely poor’ and they guarantee that ‘learning is taken from this incidental to guarantee it ne'er happens again’.

Danielle says: “I’m inactive aggravated astatine the mode they treated maine arsenic a unfortunate of home maltreatment but gladsome that they decided to usage what happened arsenic a acquisition and to instrumentality amended grooming for their officers successful home maltreatment cases.

“Hopefully it’ll ne'er hap to anyone else.”

In June 2024, Danielle bravely gave grounds against Cannella astatine tribunal earlier helium was recovered blameworthy and caged for 5 years and handed a restraining order.

She says: “For the archetypal clip successful years, I’m thankful to beryllium surviving my beingness escaped from fearfulness and violence.”