IT had got to the stage where Rebecca had begun to dread returning home from work, wondering if her husband would be in a bad mood, possibly waiting to beat her.

The mother-of-two had, at the hands of her husband, suffered broken ribs and head injuries. Her small son had witnessed one attack.

Her crime or misdemeanor? She had taken her two sons to a carnival. There appeared to be no other reason.

Rebecca, not her real name, was married for 22 years. At first there were no outward signs of the hell to come.

Then her husband began drinking more heavily. They were living abroad, far from their families. She had two small children aged under three.

About three years into their marriage her husband came home from work drunk, and instead of going into their flat, he visited neighbours upstairs.

Rebecca asked him to come home. He was not happy that she had "affronted" him.

She said: "He raised his hands as if he was going to hit me, but didn't actually make contact. But the warning was there. I thought 'well, I won't do that again', I thought it was my fault."

Rebecca became more cautious, and began trying to read his moods. Her feelings of isolation got worse.

After 12 years of marriage, the first beating took place, after the carnival. She told the doctor the broken ribs and head injuries were due to a fall from a bike. It was not the last beating.

She thought things might get better when they returned to live in England. She loved her husband, and hoped he would change. He did not.

Rebecca said: "I don't want anybody to think that I was consistently beaten. I wasn't. There were gaps between each incident when things were very good, but I never thought about telling anyone. Then the gaps got smaller and smaller."

Things got worse when they returned to England. Her husband wanted to know what she did with every penny, wanted to know who she was speaking to and what about. He wanted control of her life.

Rebecca tried to leave, but returned because she still loved her husband.

She said: "The last six months I was with him I contemplated suicide, and there was always this underlying fear. I was living with it constantly.

"I saw a number for Women's Aid and wrote it down."

Rebecca's husband then raped her and she fled the house. She called Women's Aid and a friend in Darlington, who was able to help her get in touch with the refuge here.

She said: "The support I received was overwhelming. Now I have a good life, and I would urge other women in similar situations to get help as soon as they can.