A mum whose son was stabbed to death by his fiancée is calling for more refuges to open for male victims of domestic violence.
Jose Linnane, 67, screamed "like an animal" when police told her her son Simon Gilchrist had been murdered at his flat in York in 2004.
The 23-year-old's abusive fiancée Caroline Mawhood stabbed him in the heart after she came home from a night of drinking.
Mrs Linnane is now desperately trying to prevent further deaths by calling for new refuges to open.
London does not have a single refuge for male victims of domestic violence, according to the charity ManKind.
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Mrs Linnane, from York, told the Mirror: "It makes me spit feathers there's not a single refuge for men in London.
"For women I believe there's a refuge in every city or town. It should be the same for men.
"If we don't open more refuges we will have more deaths.
"I've been contacted by people whose sons or brothers have taken their own lives because of domestic abuse.
"If you find the courage to look for help and there's not much out there you are going to give up."
More men are now speaking up about domestic abuse than ever before, with one UK helpline for male victims receiving a record-breaking number of calls.
But there are only 269 spaces for men in refuges and safe houses across the country.
Scotland and the south-east of England have just two spaces each, while London has none, according to ManKind.
There are 10 spaces in the north-east, 16 in Wales, 24 in the West Midlands, 32 in the East Midlands, 39 in the south-west, 66 in Yorkshire and Humber and 78 in the north-west.
There is also a shortage of spaces for female victims of domestic violence, with some refuges reportedly forced to turn people away due to a huge spike in demand during the pandemic.
In 2021, there were 4,289 refuge spaces for women in England, according to Women's Aid Federation of England.
This figure includes 258 spaces which were also open to men.
Mrs Linnane is now calling for more refuges to avoid further heartbreak.
The retired legal admin secretary's world fell apart when her son Simon was murdered by Mawhood.
Mrs Linnane said: "Police officers came out and told me he was dead. I can't remember the moment they told me but my husband said I screamed like an animal.
"She stabbed him through his rib and into his heart and liver. She then pulled the knife out.
"He managed to get down the stairs and outside to a telephone box where he phoned his own ambulance.
"They played the recording in court. His final words were 'I've been stabbed come quickly mate'. Then he collapsed and someone else took over the call."
Mrs Linnane only found out Mawhood had been abusing her son after his death.
Despite branding Mawhood as "evil", the heartbroken mum said she had forgiven the killer.
She even wished her a "happy and peaceful" life.
The mother spoke to her son's killer over webcam as part of a restorative justice process last year.
"I told her how hard it had been," Mrs Linnane said.
"When we were in court they showed the knife with my son's blood on it in a plastic bag. I was so close I could have put my hand out and touched it.
"I told her I had to live with that and that's when she cried.
"She did a bad thing and she deserved to be punished but I told her I forgave her and she said she was sorry."
Mawhood, who started her relationship with Simon in 2002, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 12 years for his murder.
The killer was later released, although she is now back in jail after breaking her licensing conditions.
Mrs Linnane hopes Mawhood will one day turn her life around and help in the fight against domestic abuse.
ManKind, a charity which supports male victims of domestic abuse, backed Mrs Linnane's call for more refuges and safe houses for men.
Mark Brooks, chairman of the charity, told The Mirror: "Every year, we are seeing is more and more men coming forward to helplines and services but this is just the tip of the iceberg.
"There are not enough resources for male victims in the towns and cities where they live and this has to change.
"The lack of refuge and safe houses is one clear example, but we know that more funding is desperately needed for local domestic abuse services.
"This would allow far more to employ staff with a specific role to support men and this would make a huge difference too."
Domestic violence surged during the pandemic as lockdowns left victims trapped at home with their abusers.
Although the majority of victims were women, a helpline for male victims recorded a record-breaking number of calls.
And the trend continued this year, with the domestic abuse charity Respect receiving more calls than ever before on its Men's Advice Line, which was set up in 2007.
Between April 2021 and April 2022, the helpline took 32,891 calls - even more than the previous record of 31,711 calls from 2020 to 2021.
Ippo Panteloudakis, head of services at Respect, said the cost-of-living crisis is making things worse.
He added: "Sadly, the situation for male victims is not improving. The number of calls we’re getting remains high, and the deepening cost-of-living crisis means tensions are rising.
"Callers to the Men’s Advice Line have said that arguments around increasing bills have contributed to their experiences of abuse, and others say they can’t leave and find a place to stay, because they cannot afford it."
The domestic violence charity I Choose Freedom is hoping to open a new refuge for men in November.
The new centre in Surrey will welcome LGBTQ+ and heterosexual men who are fleeing domestic violence.
If you are a male victim of domestic violence you can call Respect's Men's Advice Line on 0808 801 0327.
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