'My murdered brother hid abuse by older girlfriend'

The sister of a man who was murdered by his abusive partner says she believes he did not speak out because he was "ashamed" of being a victim of domestic abuse.

Kasey Anderson was 24 when he was stabbed to death by Natalie Bennett who was 47 at the time.

Kasey's sister Molly said her family had been "at a loss" of how to help her brother who would make excuses for Bennett's behaviour towards him.

"I think he felt really ashamed of what he was going through, that someone could have power over him that much," she said.

"It just never came out of his mouth... 'I am getting abused' or 'she is hurting me'," she told BBC Radio Merseyside.

"He would make excuses and say 'I walked into a door', 'I fell off the bike', 'I was drunk'. Never the words 'I am getting abused', 'she is hitting me'.

"We'd even seen it with our own eyes and he would still defend her."

Molly described Kasey as her "amazing big brother"

Kasey, from Croxteth in Liverpool, was 19 when he first started a relationship with Anderson who was more than twice his age.

Molly said he was "very naive" and had only had one previous relationship.

"He was so, so young," she said.

"This older woman, who's got a lot of experience, she's lived her whole life, when you think of how wise you are then compared to a 19-year-old boy, that's where the power comes from."

Molly recalled how over time her brother became more and more withdrawn and how she started to notice him change.

"He stopped talking, he stopped looking after himself, his hygiene went down," she said.

Kasey was 24 when he was stabbed by his 47-year-old girlfriend Natalie Bennett

"He wasn't going out with his friends, he wasn't going out the house, he wasn't communicating with us, he wasn't laughing - and then the physical signs as well.

"We knew what was going on but it was trying to get him to admit it," she said.

"We were at a loss."

She described how family and friends tried to talk to Kasey but "it was crazy the power she held over him".

"It was a lot of talking to him, but screaming and shouting as well to try and get through to him.

"There was absolutely nothing that was getting through to him his soul was completely lost."

"We were completely lost. It was like 'what can we do?'," she said.

"We were at a point where we were like, 'he's got to make his own choices'."

Bennett was jailed for 18 years in 2023

On 12 March 2023 at 18:30 GMT police were called to Carr Lane East in Croxteth.

Kasey had been stabbed in the chest and leg and was critically injured.

He was taken to hospital where he died three weeks later.

Bennett was arrested for what police described as a "vicious and calculated" attack and later that year was found guilty of Kasey's murder.

She was jailed for life with a minimum term of 18 years.

Molly described Kasey as her "amazing big brother"

Molly is now calling for more awareness about male victims of domestic violence and urged men going through similar experiences to her brother to speak out.

"Don't be afraid," she said.

"There is nothing to be ashamed of if someone is abusing you.

"It is not your fault, it is them.

"Speaking up is not that you are weak, it is the strongest thing that you could ever do because if Kasey had had the strength to open his mouth and say what he was going through I would not be in the position that I am right now."

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