My abusive ex-boyfriend was given a verbal warning

Lauren Hardie was assaulted by her boyfriend and says she felt so let down by the justice system she turned to social media to expose him.

The 24-year-old nurse was left with bite marks, bruising on her arms, shoulder and eye, and with many of the contents of her flat left smashed to pieces after the attack in 2020.

Frustrated by court delays, Lauren posted videos online of an attack she had secretly recorded on her phone.

Lauren's ex-partner was later "admonished" for his crimes, meaning he was verbally warned not to offend again.

The sentence, which carries no other penalty, was passed after he pleaded guilty to pushing Lauren, holding her down by the wrists, shouting, swearing and destroying property at her home.

His guilty plea resulted in two other charges being dropped.

Lauren is one of seven women whose journey through the justice system feature in the BBC Scotland Disclosure documentary Surviving Domestic Abuse.

She tells the programme she and her partner were together for six months but that there was a final flashpoint in 2020 when he attacked her after an evening out together.

Out of sight of her partner, Lauren put her phone on record and hid it under the bed covers.

"I was really scared," she said.

"The thing that was running through my mind was, 'If I don't make it out of this I have to show people why. I have to have proof'.

"I thought he was going to end my life that night. I just saw a knife. I had hands on me, holding me down and I was getting hurt. And he was getting angrier."

Lauren shared a picture of a bite mark on her arm

Neighbours heard the abuse and called the police.

He was initially charged with five offences and pleaded guilty to three when he appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court. The prosecution service accepted his guilty pleas and the other two charges were dropped.

At sentencing, the sheriff admonished him, which is recorded as a criminal conviction but carries no other penalty.

Almost 12,500 admonishments have been given as a sentence for domestic abuse over the past five years in Scotland.

Lauren said: "I felt there was really no punishment through the justice system. I didn't think he was going to get years of jail time, but I did think that the punishment would fit the crime a little bit more.

"I feel there was a bit more that could have been done, whether that be anger management, maybe covering some of the damages that I had to pay out for - anything."

• Poet reveals four-year domestic abuse ordeal

Almost 90% of people will never report domestic abuse to the police but those who do, find themselves in a system under strain, beset by backlogs and stretched resources.

Lauren was also critical of the justice process leading up to the conviction.

After giving her statement to police, it took a year and two months for a court date to be set.

In the weeks before the trial she heard from a friend, who had been cited as a witness to give evidence.

"She got a letter to say that she wasn't needed at court," Lauren said.

"But nobody had contacted me. No phone call, no text, no letter. I didn't know what was going on.

"I couldn't get hold of anyone until Monday, so I spent the whole weekend thinking that I'd finally gotten the courage to tell my truth and maybe they were dropping the charges."

A photo of some of the bruises Lauren suffered during her attack

After the case called, it took several days of phoning the court for Lauren to learn the outcome.

She said: "I just felt like I was fighting so much to be heard and nobody was listening.

"If somebody had just contacted me to tell me what the outcome was, if somebody could have contacted me and told me that court was rescheduled, and this was the reason why - even one little difference could have made a huge impact on how I was feeling."

Almost a third of all trials at sheriff courts in Scotland are for domestic abuse.

There is a backlog of 27,500 cases waiting to be heard in Scottish courts, with the most serious cases in the high court not due to be cleared until 2026.

The issue is primarily down to court closures during Covid but several successful measures have been brought in to tackle the backlog, which at its highest stood at almost 44,000 cases in January 2022.

In response to her experience, Lauren decided to post the assault footage on Instagram to spread awareness. She received hundreds of messages from other survivors.

She said: "I think I reached a bit of a boiling point where I felt, 'I have to do something now'.

"It's the sense of taking back that power that I think is so important, because you feel so lost and empty and powerless."

Lauren created group chats as a safe space where people could speak openly and support one another.

"Nobody ever prepares you for that situation", she said.

"I'd never taken anyone to court. I didn't know who to speak to. I didn't know what my rights were. Having a community of people who knew exactly how I felt - that was a big game-changer for me. For the first time I think I knew I wasn't alone."

Lauren does not regret reporting her abuser and despite the setbacks, would encourage others to do the same.

Carolyn Quinn suffered 27 years of violence

Another survivor who has urged people to seek justice if they find themselves subjected to abuse is Carolyn Quinn.

The NHS manager from Paisley suffered 27 years of severe violence and rapes, which began when she was four months pregnant. Later, her son Adam was also regularly attacked by his father, Carolyn's ex-husband, Kenneth Quinn.

She reported Kenneth to police in 2021. Two and a half years later, he stood trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

Carolyn said: "When I first spoke to Victim Support and the Procurator Fiscal, they did say that there was a backlog of cases. But I didn't expect it to be this lengthy. In a way that's a sentence in itself, that I've served.

"It's very much back to the stage of the feelings when you're being abused. You lose control of things. And all you're doing is waiting for that phone call."

Kenneth Quinn was sentenced to 15 years in prison in January 2024 and made the subject of a lifelong non-harassment order, preventing him from ever contacting Carolyn again.

A photo of the bruises to her arm inflicted by her ex-husband

For Carolyn, the sentence marked a huge milestone in her recovery journey.

Standing on the steps outside the court, flanked by a close friend and her Rape Crisis support worker, she said: "I say to other people, please come forward, please don't suffer in silence."

"I've been there. I know what it's like and it's horrific. When you leave them you know there's a difficult journey in front. But the outcome at the end is worth it. It's worth it.

"I am free. I was in utter hell for years. At one point I thought I was drowning. But I'm not. I am here and I'm standing."

Asked about lengthy court delays, a spokesman for Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service (SCTS) said: "We remain conscious of the impact delays in the criminal justice system have on all those involved, whether that is from an incident being investigated by the police, the prosecution registering the case in court, or delays in the trial taking place.

"In taking a trauma-informed approach the Summary Case Management Pilot seeks to reduce the number of unnecessary domestic abuse hearings."

The Summary Case Management Pilot is a collaboration between the SCTS, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), the Judiciary of Scotland and Police Scotland, which is aimed at speeding up the processing of sheriff court cases by bringing about an earlier plea from the accused.

In its first year, the scheme led to 250 trials being avoided and a 25% reduction in the need for civilian witnesses in domestic abuse cases to give evidence.

Dr Emma Forbes, national lead for domestic abuse at COPFS, said: "Victims of domestic abuse have shown courage to report crimes of violence and coercive control. By sharing their experiences, the prevalence of violence against women and girls and harmful behaviours can be made more visible.

"The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal takes a robust approach to the investigation of domestic abuse, including a presumption in favour of prosecution. A key priority for prosecutors is to improve our communication with victims, recognising the impact of trauma."

Siobhian Brown, the Scottish government's victims and community safety minister, said it was working with justice partners on a range of initiatives to reduce the time cases take.

She said: "It is clear that we must go further and faster to eradicate violence against women by tackling the root causes and ensure that where behaviours turn into violence and abuse, those responsible are brought to justice.

"We are doing this through our Equally Safe Strategy which focuses on early intervention, prevention and support services."

She said the Scottish government had also provided funding to Rape Crisis Scotland and Scottish Women's Aid and other organisations supporting survivors of gender-based violence.

You can watch Disclosure: Surviving Domestic Abuse on BBC One Scotland and BBC iPlayer on Monday 11 March. If you've been affected by the issues in this story you can find information and support here.