A brutal act of domestic violence has shattered the life of teacher and mother‑of‑two Trudi Burgess and devastated her family. Ten months after her neck was snapped by her partner, serial abuser Robert Easom, the 57‑year‑old remains tetraplegic in hospital, dependent on specialist care and unable to move from the chest down. For her son Jackson and daughter Gina, who had already lost their father to a brain tumour, the attack feels like a second bereavement – made worse by the knowledge that their grieving mother was deliberately groomed, isolated and controlled by the man who later almost killed her.
Trudi’s children remember racing to intensive care after being told their mum had suffered catastrophic injuries. Tubes filled her throat and machines kept her alive, yet she strained to form a single word with her lips: “sorry”. Even in that moment, she felt guilt – guilt for “letting” this happen, for bringing a violent man into the heart of a once‑happy family, and for not confiding in her loved ones sooner. It is a heartbreaking detail that reveals just how deeply the cycle of coercive control had worked on her sense of self-worth.
Before Easom entered their lives, Jackson and Gina describe a warm, stable upbringing. Trudi had been a talented singer who met and married musician Craig Burgess, her partner from the age of 17. Together they gave their children what the siblings now call a “perfect childhood”: love, music, and a strong sense of security. That security was ripped away when Craig died of a brain tumour. In the vulnerable aftermath of that loss, Trudi was emotionally exposed – desperate for comfort, companionship and a way to rebuild her life after years of caring for a dying husband.
Into that grief stepped Robert Easom, a landscape gardener who initially appeared kind, attentive and understanding. To the outside world, he seemed like the man who could help Trudi smile again. Behind closed doors, however, a far darker pattern developed. Over eight years, Easom allegedly chipped away at her confidence, isolating her from friends and family, belittling her, and using outbursts of rage and physical violence to keep her off balance. Like many victims of coercive control, Trudi began to doubt her own judgement, rationalising his behaviour and clinging to the good moments in the hope the “real” him would return.
The full scale of that hidden regime only became clear after the attack, when police examined Trudi’s phone and uncovered a disturbing diary of abuse she had quietly recorded over several years. In voice notes and written entries she documented incidents in which Easom shoved her into furniture, forced her to clean in humiliation, drove recklessly to frighten her, shouted and swore at her, and on multiple occasions assaulted her. Each episode, she noted, was followed by tears, apologies and promises from him that things would change – classic hallmarks of the abusive cycle that traps so many victims.
The breaking point came when Trudi finally told Easom she was leaving him. Rather than accept the end of the relationship, he reportedly erupted in what witnesses later compared to a “Jekyll and Hyde” or “Incredible Hulk” transformation. According to court evidence, he pinned her face‑down on the bed, applied his full weight to her neck and twisted until she heard a sickening crack. In that instant, her spinal cord was severed and she lost all feeling in her limbs. Trudi has described the sensation as her “head being folded into [her] body” and believing she was about to die.
Even then, manipulation continued. Fearing prison, Easom is said to have pressured Trudi to tell paramedics they had simply been “play‑fighting”. Still in shock and deeply conditioned to protect him, she complied at first, minimising what he had done. Only when doctors explained the extent of her injuries, and she realised she would never walk again, did she fully disclose the truth. Her later testimony, combined with the diary of abuse and medical evidence, led a jury to convict Easom of grievous bodily harm with intent in less than half an hour – a strikingly swift verdict that reflected the strength of the case against him.
For Jackson and Gina, that conviction brings a measure of justice but not closure. They are left trying to piece together how a man they once saw as a potential source of comfort for their widowed mother could so completely infiltrate their family. In hindsight, they recall subtle changes: cancelled visits, excuses that their mum was “tired”, a growing sense that Easom was a gatekeeper to her time and attention. Yet like many relatives in similar situations, they never imagined the danger would escalate to life‑changing violence.
Trudi now faces a future defined by paralysis, neuropathic pain and dependence on specialist equipment and care. Her home requires extensive adaptations; she needs wheelchairs, hoists and constant support to perform basic tasks. At the same time, she and her children have chosen to speak publicly in the hope that their story will help other families recognise the warning signs of coercive control earlier: sudden isolation from loved ones, relentless criticism, unpredictable rages followed by lavish apologies, and a partner who steadily convinces you that you are “useless” and cannot cope without them.
Their message is stark but compassionate. Domestic abuse is not always obvious, and it does not only happen to people with “chaotic” lives; it can affect educated professionals, loving parents and seemingly stable families. Grief, loneliness and a longing for security can make even the strongest person vulnerable to a manipulative partner. By sharing the truth of what happened to Trudi – from a happy marriage and a tragic bereavement to eight years of hidden torment and a single night of unimaginable violence – her children hope to honour the mother they knew before the abuse, support her as she rebuilds what she can of her life, and warn others not to ignore the quiet signals that something is terribly wrong behind closed doors.
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