Derbyshire man who raped woman, burnt her eyelashes and threatened to kill her children jailed

Shane Wisher dragged the woman around by her hair, put his thumbs into her eye sockets and even burnt her eyelashes with a lighter. He repeatedly threatened her with weapons and also threatened to kill her and her children.

In a victim personal statement, she said: “I don’t know who I am anymore, I have lost who I was and cannot recover from this.”

Wisher was arrested and subsequently charged with rape, stalking, controlling and coercive behaviour, assault and threatening with an offensive weapon.

He denied the offences but was found guilty after a trial. The 39-year-old, of Merlin Green, Derby appeared at Derby Crown Court for sentencing on Monday 11 December when he was jailed for 11 years. He was also given a restraining order preventing him from having any contact with the woman for 15 years.

Detective Constable Mark Holmes, who led the investigation, said: “Wisher’s pattern of behaviour towards this woman is nothing short of abhorrent. Having to deal with this abuse has understandably had a massive impact on her physically, emotionally and mentally and she will have to live with the trauma he has caused her for the rest of her life.

“The bravery she has shown in coming forward to report this abuse is incredible and I’d like to commend her for that. I sincerely hope that knowing Wisher is behind bars for some time will now help her and her children to begin to move on and look to the future.”

Spotting the signs of abuse isn’t always easy. If you are suffering abuse, it can be hard to accept that the person you love might in fact be controlling you.

Some key signs to look out for include:

• Making unreasonable demands or to do things you don’t want to, often followed up by threats, pressure, or even physical restraint if you don’t agree.
• Name calling or bullying. Belittling you in front of your friends or making you feel worthless.
• Controlling what you do with your time, isolating you from friends or family, stalking your movements, making unwanted contact.
• Monitoring your spending, giving you an ‘allowance’ to live off, taking your money.
• Controlling your phone or other devices, changing your passwords so they can access them or stopping you from using them.
• Destroying or damaging your belongings or home.

People suffering abuse don’t always consider themselves a victim, and it may not be immediately obvious what they are going through. It might be they need some help to take that first step or recognise that their loved one’s behaviour is not normal or acceptable.

There is help and support available if you are experiencing issues like these or if you have concerns about someone you know.

You can contact Derbyshire police if you need support or advice from the force and it's not an emergency through the following channels:

Facebook– send a private message to Derbyshire Police Facebook page

Twitter– direct message contact centre via @DerPolContact

Website– use reporting tools on Derbyshire Police website or use online contact form

Phone – call 101

In an emergency, or where there is an immediate risk to life, call 999.

All reports will be taken seriously, and we officers are committed to listening to victims and their feedback to provide the very best service to victims of domestic abuse.

If you are not ready to speak to the police, then there are a number of support services in Derbyshire which can offer help. You can find the details of them all on a dedicated police page.