'I'm still glad I reported it': Northampton domestic abuse survivor speaks out after abuser spared prison

A Northampton woman has bravely spoken out about the domestic abuse she was subjected to and her thoughts on how her abuser was dealt with after he was spared prison.

Sarah Morgan was subjected to an assault by her abuser and then-boyfriend of around a year, last March.

Less than a month later, the man rammed a trolley into the side of her body outside a Northampton hotel.

The 31-year-old reported the incidents to the Northamptonshire Police and courageously followed the process through to court.

Warren White, of The Causeway, Sarah’s former partner, was charged with two counts of assault. The 23-year-old pleaded not guilty to the charges, but was later found guilty.

White was sentenced to unpaid work, a drug rehabilitation requirement and a restraining order on March 11, this year at Northampton Magistrates' Court.

Now, following the case, Sarah is speaking out about the abuse and her subsequent experience of reporting it to police, attending court and the sentence her abuser received.

The mum-of-three told the Chronicle & Echo: “Warren was dare I say it, perfect. He treated me well, made me feel special. I hung on every word he said and believed everything he told me.

“I was extremely shaken up after the assaults and I ended up being in severe pain with my tumour and my abdomen where he rammed me with the trolley.

“I’m grateful to have had family and friends around me, although I wasn’t 100 percent honest with them about what he had done to me.

“I believed I loved him and he was calling me everyday telling me how much he loves me.

“When I did report it to the police, they were very understanding and they made me feel like they genuinely cared.”

The incidents have left a lasting impact, which Sarah is now having to deal with on a daily basis, as well as processing the non-custodial sentence White received.

Sarah added: “I suffer with trust issues and I have night terrors. I often have nightmares with Warren in them.

“He took my confidence from me, but I am on the way to getting that back.

“But I cried when I found out his sentence. I feel like it isn’t justice. I feel like I have been let down as it really took a lot for me to go to court and I feel like it was for nothing.

“I do understand why victims of domestic abuse do not go to court but I am so glad that I had the courage to do it.

“You can not let your abusers get away with it.

“I am glad I’ve done it as I felt a weight off my shoulders once I had given my evidence.

“I believe all victims of any kind of abuse should stand together.

“Sooner or later the justice system will tighten and the abusers will be punished accordingly.”

White was sentenced to 80 hours of unpaid work to be completed within a year, a three-month, non-residential drug rehabilitation requirement and a restraining order from his victim until March 2022.

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