MAN SENTENCED FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OFFENCES
A woman who survived an intense period of domestic abuse spoke out after her former partner received a lengthy prison sentence.Jayda Russell suffered over a year of worsening violence from her ex, Kelsey Ferreira, in Canning Town.
Ferreira, 26, was handed a 10-year extended jail term at Snaresbrook Crown Court last month, having admitted to multiple charges including bodily harm, grievous injuries, strangulation, coercive control, threats to kill, criminal damage, and obstructing justice.
Their relationship started in October 2022 but quickly turned violent, with Ferreira hitting Jayda for the first time in January 2023.
Their relationship began in October 2022 but soon turned violent when Ferreira punched her for the first time in January 2023.
From then on, Jayda suffered punching, strangulation and slapping, and was even whipped with a bike chain, leaving scarring across her thigh and arm.
The most serious attack saw Ferreira beat her so badly that she was left with a “golf ball sized lump” on her forehead and a tear to her retina which caused her eyes to bleed.
Jayda, 25, said: “What the defendant did wasn’t just a series of incidents.
It became my life.
My normal.
“My world turned into one lived in fear, control and constant anxiety.
“I spent so long walking on eggshells, terrified of what might happen next, never feeling safe, never feeling calm, never feeling free.” Ferreira was first arrested in December 2023, but after being charged and placed on a tag, he cut it off and continued to offend.
Jayda said the violence then escalated further, as Ferreira made death threats towards her and her mum if she didn’t withdraw her support for the prosecution.
Jayda said: “I wasn’t only abused behind closed doors.
I was hurt in public, anywhere and everywhere, in supermarkets, on busy streets, at train stations and in front of strangers.
There was no safe place.” He was eventually remanded in custody in August 2024 after he followed Jayda in public and attacked her in a Co-op shop in Canning Town, but the abuse did not end there.
Jayda said: “Even after he was arrested, the fear didn’t stop, in fact I became more fearful.
“I still did not feel safe.
Him being on a tag did not protect me, and being remanded in custody did not stop him from trying to contact me.
“When his prison letters and calls were intercepted, he found other ways to reach me, including using mobile phones.
“Even after I reported this and his cell was searched, the contact still didn’t stop.
“When he could not reach me directly, he used his family to contact me instead.
“It felt relentless, like he would never let me go and like he still had power over me no matter where he was.” She said: “I felt constantly on edge, trapped and afraid, as though nothing — not the police, not the prison, not the courts, not even other people — could truly protect me.
“He ignored bail, cut off his tag and continued his behaviour while on remand, showing disregard for the justice system.” Jayda said repeated court delays dragged out the agony.
She said: “The inconsistency left me confused, anxious and constantly second-guessing what was happening.
“As a victim already struggling with trauma, this uncertainty caused me to spiral mentally and made the whole process even more overwhelming.” Jayda originally believed she would have to give evidence during the trial, but Ferreira changed his plea to guilty on the third day.
Despite the challenges, Jayda said her message to other survivors is: “There is hope and justice out there.
Even though the court process is so difficult and at times you may feel alone, you are stronger than you realise.
“It’s important not to give up – don’t let what happened to you silence you and let the perpetrator win.
Your voice matters and you deserve to be heard.”
