A victim of domestic violence has shared how her iPhone’s Siri feature played a crucial role in saving her life during a severe attack.
Appearing on ITV’s Good Morning Britain with hosts Ed Balls and Kate Garraway, Emma-Louise Kelly, a mother of one, recounted the terrifying experience when her phone contacted the police as her ex-partner was physically abusing her after a night out.
Recounting how the situation escalated, she said: “We went out for a date night and everything was absolutely fine.
“He went home to take the car and we went to meet some friends for some drinks, and when he came back from that he was just different.
“He was getting possessive and jealous about other people that were saying ‘happy new year’, he wasn’t happy with any of it.”
Reflecting on her relationship, Emma-Louise recognized several ‘warning signs’ in her partner’s increasingly troubling behavior.
“[He was] jealous about things that he wanted me to wear and things like that, but on the night when he changed I decided to go home separately from him,” she explained.
“I walked in and he just started to attack me verbally and then it became violent. He was punching me, kicking me, strangling me until I passed out. Sexual assault followed after that and it was horrific.”
Kate asked whether she believed this could be the moment she might lose her life.
“Yeah, I knew that I needed help,” replied Emma-Louise.
“I didn’t know how I was gonna get that help because it was just relentless and I kept passing out, and all I could think about was my little girl and making sure that I was OK for her.
“So I shouted to my phone – I use it a lot when I’m busy, when I’m cooking – and luckily it connected and [the police] literally came and saved my life.”
The police arrived at her home approximately 20 minutes later, with her attacker still present.
Emma-Louise was uncertain if her plea for help through technology was successful.
“It all happened really quickly,” she said.
“I was shouting to Alexa and to my phone, I didn’t know if it would work. I know that I use it to call my contacts and people, but I didn’t know if it would work – it was sheer desperation.
“If I didn’t know it was gonna work, he probably thought it’s not gonna work, but he smashed up all the Alexas just in case. But obviously my phone – when I did find it, it was somewhere in the corner in the room, so it connected from wherever I’d shouted.”
Following the incident, her ex-partner pleaded guilty and was sentenced to nine years and four months at Preston Crown Court last month (August 14). The sentence includes six years and four months in prison followed by three years on probation.
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic violence, remember that help is available. Contact the national domestic violence helpline confidentially at 1.800.799.SAFE (7233), available 24/7. Additionally, local resources can be found here.