Shocking figure reveal a report of domestic abuse was made to Merseyside Police every 19 minutes last year.
In the 12 months up to March 2018 there were 27,416 domestic abuse-related offences and incidents reported to Merseyside Police - equating to one every 19.2 minutes.
The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show Merseyside Police recorded 56% of the domestic abuse-related incidents and offences reported to it as crimes.
Some 11,643 of the domestic abuse related were classed as violent crimes, while 3,524 were cases of stalking and harassment.
Overall, 33% of all violent crimes recorded in the police force area are related to domestic abuse.
In Merseyside, there were 2,902 domestic abuse-related prosecutions in the year ending March 2018, leading to a total of 2,329 convictions.
In 2018 the ECHO spoke to several brave women about their harrowing experiences at the hands of their partners.
Here are their stories.
Catherine Worsley
Catherine Worsley was left covered in blood after being headbutted by her partner Gareth Pierce - then threatened with an acid attack if she didn't drop charges.
Catherine said the 36-year-old bully was jealous and controlling throughout their relationship - But he made her believe he loved her.
Describing when the pair first broke up, after he attacked her over Christmas, she said: "He wanted to drive my car drunk. He was strangling me and told me he wanted to kill me.
"I was being sick in my mouth and couldn't breathe. He eventually let go, telling me I wasn't worth the jail time."
Catherine said Pierce often accused men of staring at her on nights out, yelling 'what the f*** are you looking at?' and starting fights.
She said: "The amount of times we got kicked out of clubs and even restaurants - he was just really possessive and jealous."
But the worst attack was in August when he accused her of sleeping with another man.
He threatened to kill them both, pinned her to the bed, punched her and screamed "I love you".
Pierce went quiet then headbutted her, causing her nose to "crunch" and blood to pour down her face.
She said: "He locked me in my bedroom for six hours and took my phone and keys. He said he would kill me, then kill himself and if he couldn't have me, nobody could ever have me.
"For hours I cried, begged and pleaded for him to let me go to my mum's house. I even looked him in the eyes and promised him I wouldn't go to the police - all I wanted was my mum.
"After six hours he let me go, threw my front door keys at me and told me 'run'."
After being remanded in prison, Pierce begged Catherine to lie about the attack or not attend court, before issuing more vile threats.
But she downloaded an app and recorded him saying: "I'm gonna get you stabbed and acided. Stabbed and acid threw in your face."
Pierce admitted assault causing actual bodily harm, perverting the course of justice and witness intimidation.
Jailing him for 33 months, Judge Robert Trevor-Jones said his phone calls were "chilling" and his threats "ugly".
Catherine is now receiving counselling and has realised she wrongly believed it was only her going through this type of ordeal.
Katie Walker
Katie Walker had every bone in her face broken by her vicious boyfriend and had to spend three months in hospital while doctors attempted to put her face back together.
Specialists painstakingly reconstructed her eye sockets, jaw, cheekbones, nose and skull, inserting metal plates inserted to keep them in place.
She was even told by a surgeon that her injuries were similar to those of people who had been in high-impact road crashes and hadn’t been wearing a seat belt.
Katie, from Bootle, had been seeing her partner for nine months on and off, before he launched his vicious attack.
The man who did it was eventually jailed for five years - but Katie was left facing panic attacks and depression.
Katie said: “The culmination of the abusive relationship – the attack which left every bone in my face broken – was obviously a low point, but I think my lowest point was actually a day when I had been to a counselling session.
"All the bad memories came flooding back, and I got home and had a huge panic attack.
"I felt as if people were watching the house and trying to get to me – so I closed all the curtains, locked all the doors and covered the pane of glass on the front door with paper.
"I felt that I needed everything to be covered up so nobody could see me or get to me.”
She said: “I feel like the reason I survived the attack was so I could go on and show other women that it doesn’t matter what they have been through, because they CAN get past these traumas in their lives."
Katie now helps abuse victims at her beauty salon – Bella Mode on County Road in Walton – where she offers pamper sessions and practical help and guidance.
