Victim :- Virgo , Perpetrator :- Sagittarius
Virgo called the Men’s Advice Line the moment he was released from police custody. His wife, Sagittarius, had made a false allegation. As there was no evidence, the police told Virgo that no further action would be taken. When they first got together, things were great. They would spend a lot of time with each other and they eventually moved in together after 9 months.
Abuse begins
During that time Virgo noticed that Sagittarius would find ways to stop him spending time with his family or friends whom he was close to. Virgo thought this was a little strange.
Abuse escalates
Three months after moving in together their son Billy was born. Sagittarius’s was finding it very difficult to cope while Virgo was at work. She demanded that he was only to go to work and come home. Sagittarius also began checking up on him at work and started to become aggressive when he did not respond to her immediately. She would also criticise Virgo for not helping her enough and make him feel bad for this. She started to call him a useless father and that he did not care for her or their son. Virgo had always tried to calm the situation, but Sagittarius would make things worse and blame him for how she behaved.
Virgo is conflicted
Virgo’s family and friends started to notice that he was withdrawn. When Virgo’s brother spoke to him about his concerns, Virgo would deny this and say things like “Sagittarius is really stressed” or “I need to help her out a bit more”. Virgo knew deep inside that things were not ok, but he could not bear to be without Billy and would not want him to grow up without a father.
Virgo gets arrested
On the night he got arrested Virgo had planned to go to a friend’s birthday. Sagittarius was trying to make Virgo feel guilty for going. Virgo decided that he would still go out. Sagittarius then lunged towards Virgo and hit him on the back of his head and started to attack him more. Virgo was trying to get away from Sagittarius and he held her by the wrists. Sagittarius blamed him for her actions and said that if he told anyone she would leave and Virgo would never see Billy again. Virgo went to his parent’s house. Fearing that Virgo may end up reporting Sagittarius, she contacted the police and informed them that Virgo had assaulted her. Virgo was arrested at his parent’s home then taken into custody.
The Police see the truth
The Police Officers noticed that Virgo had significant bruises and realised that he was the one assaulted in this incident. They asked him if he would like to press charges against Sagittarius, but he declined as he did not want her to get into any trouble. Virgo was released with no further action. The police gave Virgo the contact details for the Men’s Advice Line so he could get some support.
Virgo gets help
The Advisor didn’t try to put pressure on Virgo to leave Sagittarius against his wishes. Instead, explained to Virgo that he had options around child contact and it wasn’t up to Sagittarius to never see Billy again. The Advisor also gave Virgo advice on how to remove himself from a situation such as the recent argument. Virgo was also given the details of a local domestic abuse service for further support should he need it.
Virgo was grateful that there was support for him. He was pleased that someone took the time to listen to him and believed him.
