MUM of two Tina Nash has told how the attack by her new boyfriend brought back terrifying memories of when Shane Jenkin blinded her.
Tina, right, from Hayle but now living in Penzance, had her eyes gouged out by bodybuilder Jenkin in April 2011 in a horrific domestic attack.
She has since begun to rebuild her life and gone on the record about her experiences to help others at risk of abuse – but two weeks ago told Truro magistrates how she had been terrorised by another violent boyfriend.
Roland Alli pleaded guilty to common assault, was sentenced to 14 weeks in prison and given a restraining order banning him from going or contacting her.
Now Tina has told a national newspaper that when she met trainee forklift driver Alli, from Plymouth, on Facebook she thought she'd found someone "safe" – but Alli, 32, threatened her with a knife at her own home.
She said: "I heard the sound of the blades clinking in the drawer, and I knew he meant it. This was real. It was happening again and my body shot into survival mode."
Alli had accused Tina of rekindling her relationship with the father of one of her sons.
She said: "Suddenly he grabbed my arm and twisted it behind my back. I screamed with pain, and Roland pushed it higher. He pulled at my hand and I felt a sharp pain above my knuckles.
"I thought he had bitten me. I screamed at him to let me go and scrambled to the edge of the bed, threatening that my uncles would kick him out in the morning if he didn't leave."
She told how he roared out, "That's it; I'm getting a knife," then charged into the kitchen.
"That's when I heard the sound of the blades," she said. "It brought back all those memories from before.
"I was terrified Roland would knife me in the back.
"I got a Swiss Army penknife from my son's room. I clutched it for dear life.
"Two minutes later, Roland shouted that the police had arrived, and disappeared.
"I clambered to my feet, shaking violently, and I wanted to be sick."
The attack reawakened dark shadows of her encounter with Jenkin, 34, who was jailed for life for grievous bodily harm last May.
"I thought I was over the worst, but since Roland's court case I haven't been able to sleep," said Tina. "I've dreamt of Shane every night.
"It's as if my recent attack has reopened a wound and the cut feels deeper than ever.
"I had a panic attack this week that was so severe I had to have 20 cold showers to cool me down." She said she had now asked for therapy, and added: "I am telling my story because I want my words to be an early warning to anyone who finds themselves trapped in a violent relationship."
The charity Woman's Aid offers a confidential helpline for domestic abuse victims; call 0808 2000247 or go online at www.womensaid.org.uk
