WHEN terrified Maddie Benson was confronted by a masked intruder in her living room she screamed for her life, believing she was being burgled.
It was only when the man shouted her name that she realised, in horror, that she knew his voice.
It was her ex-partner Liam Brannan.
Chillingly, this did nothing to allay her fears, as Brannan threw her to the ground and tried to strangle her.
Brannan, 30, was jailed for six years at Crown Court in April 2025 after admitting three strangulations and three assaults.
Mum-of-two Maddie, 23, from , , told Fabulous: “Liam was lovely when we first met. He offered me the dream but then he became a monster.
‘Gentleman' to monster
“He broke into my home and tried to strangle me. He also strangled me after I twins and I found evidence he was on me.
“It took so much strength to leave, but I think he’d have killed me if I stayed.
“I hope other women will learn from my story. Please leave before it’s too late.”;
Maddie met Brannan on a night out in February 2023.
She says: “We had mutual friends in common. He was smiley, funny and really outgoing. We shared a kiss and went our separate ways.
“But the day after, he called me and we arranged to meet.”;
Over the next couple of months, the couple grew close.
Maddie says: “I had a son from a previous relationship and Liam was great with him.
“We moved in together. Liam had a good job as a plasterer and seemed like a real family man.
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“I’d grown up without a family, so it was really important to me to have that stability. Liam referred to me as his wife, which made me feel our relationship was serious.
“I thought he was going to look after me and be the kind of dad and husband I’d always dreamed of.
“He confided he’d been in fights years earlier but that he had changed. I appreciated his honesty, and I wanted to give him a chance.
“I did a check on and there were no concerns.
“Everyone makes mistakes, and I wanted to think he’d grown up and matured.”;
Maddie fell and gave birth to the couple’s son in January 2024.
Maddie says: “Towards the end of the pregnancy I was sent a video of Liam cheating on me in the pub with another girl.
“I confronted him and he flew into a rage and squeezed his hands around my throat.
Violent monster
“I thought he was going to kill me. I didn’t know what to do; I was about to give birth and I didn’t want to be on my own.
“After, he was very remorseful and, though I knew I should leave, I was afraid.
“In between his rages, Liam rubbed my feet and helped me around the house and told our friends how much he loved me. He could be so lovely and that made it very hard.
“But he was also very cruel, reminding me I’d already had one failed relationship with my son’s father, so I couldn’t afford another.
“He made me feel as though I was the one to blame, even though he was violent.”;
The following summer, Maddie fell pregnant with twins.
She says: “Whilst it was overwhelming, I was excited and Liam was too.”;
But in June 2024, at 10 weeks pregnant, Maddie began bleeding at home before she collapsed and miscarried.
She was rushed to hospital and admitted for four days. When she arrived home, she found a pair of women’s glasses in her kitchen.
He threw me up against the wall and squeezed my neck and I had to fight for my life
Maddie Benson
She says: “I was heartbroken. The miscarriages were so traumatic and I was physically and emotionally shattered.
“Then I came out of hospital to find there had been another woman in my home. I confronted Liam and again, he lost his temper and tried to strangle me.
“He threw me up against the wall and squeezed my neck and I had to fight for my life.
“I had a code with my best friend that if I ever texted her any fruit, then I was in danger. I couldn’t call the police because Liam was there, so I quickly texted her a pineapple emoji. She replied: ‘R u for real?’ and so I sent another pineapple.
“Within minutes, the police were there. I was terrified of making a statement but I knew I had no other choice.”;
Horror attack
Maddie and her children were moved to a refuge in Birmingham and, after a period on remand, Liam was granted bail. Maddie later returned to her home in Hampshire.
She says: “I was living in fear. I couldn’t grieve for my lost twins because I was so traumatised by Liam’s behaviour. I was coping with so much.
“One night in August, I had a friend round when the front door burst open and I was confronted with a man in a balaclava and gloves.
“He was completely covered and I thought he was a burglar. I was screaming: ‘Please don’t kill me, I have kids. I have nothing valuable.’
“I thought I was going to die. It was only when he started shouting my name and that I was a slag and a slut that I recognised Liam’s voice.
Don’t ever believe you can’t manage on your own because you can – you are so much stronger than you think
Maddie Benson
“He assaulted my friend and then he threw me on the bed and strangled me. He had his hand on my mouth, I couldn’t breathe. It was horrific.
“I was fighting back, kicking and screaming, terrified I was going to leave my children without a mother. The baby started screaming and he stopped suddenly and fled.”;
Maddie again spoke to the police and she and her children were forced to move house for their own safety.
In April 2025 Brannan appeared before Winchester Crown where he admitted three charges of strangulation, two assaults on Maddie and one assault on her friend.
He was jailed for six years.
Maddie says: “I was relieved by the sentence; it gives me a chance to rebuild my life.
“I suffer terribly with flashbacks and bad dreams. I keep hearing the door being bashed in and people screaming, but it’s all in my head.
“I’m taking my recovery one day at a time but I’ve done the hard part.
“I hope others will learn from my story. Please don’t ever think that violence from your partner is your fault. There is never any excuse for it.
“And don’t ever believe you can’t manage on your own because you can – you are so much stronger than you think.”;
