A violent thug battered his ex-partner in a campaign of abuse that included banishing her from their own home ‘as a punishment’.
Stuart Holdstock, 34, was found guilty of assaulting his former girlfriend, Saskia Reay in Bolton last month. Saskia, 32, says the violent relationship left her with seizures and ongoing health problems.
Holdstock, of Darwen Road in Bromley Cross, would issue cruel and bizarre punishments by forcing her to ‘leave the house for a day.’ Saskia believes the abuse started after Holdstock ‘took advantage’ of her vulnerability following an ADHD diagnosis.
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“He stamped on me and battered me, and he ordered me to leave the house for a day, every time he was angry,” said Saskia, a hotel receptionist from Bury. The pair met at work in Bolton at the end of 2021.
Saskia went on: “I worked as a receptionist at a hotel and Stuart was one of the managers. We got on really well, he was funny and seemed nice. He knew I fancied him.”
The pair had a drink together in February 2022 and began a relationship. She continued: “It was a whirlwind, I moved in with him really quickly and was very much in love. I thought he was the man I’d been waiting for.
“I was going through a diagnosis for ADHD at the time and so I was quite vulnerable. Looking back, I think Stuart took advantage of that.”
The couple were happy together but in May 2022, they rowed after a gathering at their home. Saskia recalled: “Stuart was really drunk, his eyes were bulging and he pushed me over a chair. He shoved me out of the house at 3am without shoes or socks or my phone.
“The following day, he said the whole thing was my fault and he ordered me to leave the house for a day ‘as punishment.’ I actually started to believe I was responsible; I was being slowly brainwashed.
“My parents begged me to leave him, but Stuart was my world. I really thought I was the one in the wrong.”
There was a further violent incident in July 2022 and Saskia was admitted to hospital with a bleed on the brain. Again, Holdstock accused her of triggering his temper, and she took the blame.
She added: “I didn’t report it to the police, out of loyalty to him. I was living with him and working with him, and I felt very tied to him. I was miserable, but I didn’t know what to do.
“When I got home from hospital, Stuart ordered me out of the house for one day, as punishment.”
In September 2022, the couple attended a local fun day and Holdstock drank too much. When they got home, he attacked Saskia, throwing her around the room and stamping on her.
She explained: “He threw me to the floor and stamped on me and I was so shocked, I said: ‘You just stamped on me.’ He replied: ‘Yes, I f****** know I did.’
“He’d thrown me over the sofa and I really hurt my shoulder. That seemed to stop him in his tracks, he thought it was broken.
“I managed to get outside, and I rang my family who came immediately. I was covered in bruises and cuts, and they persuaded me to speak to the police.”
Holdstock was found guilty of assault by beating at a trial at Bolton Magistrates Court on June 16, 2023 after denying the charge. He was found not guilty of intentional strangulation.
He was ordered to pay a fine of £562 and a restraining order preventing him from contacting Ms Reay was made until September 15, 2024.
Now, Saskia, who has a new job as a lifeguard, feels ‘proud’. She explained: “I feel very proud that I finally found the courage to stand up to him and I know other women will be safer because of it.
“I’ve had lots of support from my family and also from help groups. But I still have a long way to go. I can’t leave my house without feeling afraid. I am worried about being attacked all the time.
“But I won’t let him beat me. Looking back now I can see him for the bully he is.”
