A survivor of domestic abuse urges employers to be aware of these warning signs

Rachel Williams spent 18 years with a man that controlled every aspect of her life. From her hair colour to the hours she worked, Rachel was at the mercy of her partner.

He has such an impact on her life that her employers noticed and their testimony was used when Rachel reported her case to authorities. The letter is a tough read but Rachel is using it now to urge employers to speak out when they suspect someone is in trouble. The letter is written by Rachel’s former boss. It reads:

Dear Sir/Madam, I employed Mrs Rachel Court then known as Haywood as a Junior Hairstylist at my salon Bonkerz Hair Centre from June 1999 until Easter 2002.
Although I was always very pleased with Rachel's standard of work her employment didn't come without problems. Her partner Darren Williams controlled her working life. For example we all lead him to believe that our male trainee was gay. This was because Rachel was not allowed to work with heterosexual males, she was also not allowed to cut the hair of men or lesbians. Darren's demeanor was intimidating and we were all afraid of him "kicking off", he would make surprise visits to the salon and check our appointment book to try to catch her out. I remember one particular day when Rachel was the only stylist available to cut a gents hair and I had to order all my trainees to circle around her and the client to block any view from the street whilst she cut his hair. The fear of her getting caught was tangible and the whole salon was on pins.
Furthermore Rachel was also only allowed her hair to be styled in his preferred style and was not under any terms allowed it coloured. Only one time we broke the tinting rule, the following day Rachel came into work and begged for the colour to be removed. Rachel explained that she had been ordered by Darren to reverse her hair back to its natural colour. Of course it was!
I have no doubt that Rachel was controlled by Darren and to be honest myself and the rest of my staff were all fearful of him.

Rachel understands that many women feel powerless in a situation of abuse and urges women to seek help from the police. In the UK, Clare’s Law permits women with concerns to visit a police station and access details about their partners past, including any previous offences or complaints. Rachel has written a booklet on her experiences and details can be found HERE.