'I was attacked on CCTV - but the charge was dropped in a plea deal'

Warning: This article contains details readers may find upsetting

Liz Shanks installed cameras around her home to protect her prized collection of classic cars – but instead, they captured the escalating and violent domestic abuse carried out by her former partner.

The harrowing recordings show repeated attacks in which Chris Forrest strangles Liz, pins her to the ground, and throttles her against a wall in the driveway.

In one, he screams "you are going to die in my hands you wee cow" as she gasps for breath.

The videos proved pivotal in a 2022 court case when Forrest was jailed for 27 months for attacks on Liz spanning three years.

Faced with the CCTV evidence, Forrest pleaded guilty to four charges.

But as part of a plea negotiation, commonly known as a plea deal, prosecutors agreed to drop the other seven charges against him.

Liz, a 36-year-old firefighter from Blantyre in South Lanarkshire, says she was "devastated" when she discovered that those charges had been dropped.

She is part of a group of abuse survivors who are calling for the law to be changed to ensure that victims are notified about plea negotiations agreed in their cases.

The leader of the Scottish Conservatives has backed the move, but Justice Secretary Angela Constance has indicated that she is not in favour.

Liz says that the first she knew about the plea deal was when she got a phone call to say that the court case was over.

"I said: 'Where was my say in this plea deal? Why wasn't I told or given a say"(Clockwise from top right) Alan Hush, Gavin Brown, Adam Sharoudi and Gavin Cox " class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/>