A woman has escaped an abusive husband who kept her prisoner in their home by leaving a desperate note in her son’s homework in the hope that his teachers would see it.
In her message the 52-year-old woman revealed how her husband had tried to strangle her and had even set fire to their bed.
Her husband, she wrote, did not allow her to leave the house and frequently verbally humiliated her. He kept her isolated from family, friends and neighbours and denied her access to a telephone or the internet.
When a teacher saw the note, the school raised the alarm and police set up an operation to free her.
The couple, originally from Uruguay, were called to the child’s school in Benalmádena, near Malaga, in southern Spain, supposedly for a meeting to discuss their son’s progress.
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Believing the woman was at high risk, police wanted to ensure the mother attended the meeting.
Teachers created a diversion and asked the woman to come into the school building first so specially trained police officers could check her story.
When the husband came in, police arrested him for threatening behaviour.
After his arrest, a judge released the 52-year-old man, named only as J.C.T, on bail but he has an electronic bracelet fitted to his ankle, and has been banned from any contact with his wife.
The woman is in secure accommodation under police protection.
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Domestic violence is major political issue in Spain — so far this year 18 women have been killed by their partners.
Spain has specially trained magistrates to deal with domestic violence cases.