A mother has revealed how she suffered horrific physical and mental abuse at the hands of her violent ex-boyfriend before helping police bring him to justice.
Divorcee Karen Walkup, of Kirkcaldy, Fife, described in heart-wrenching detail how she was repeatedly left bloodied and bruised at the hands of Stephen Lynch – a ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ manipulator who would tell her he loved her hours after subjecting her to vicious beatings. On one occasion he slammed her head into a car window.
Miss Walkup, 35, spent months living in fear before fleeing with her daughter after a final brutal attack that ended with Lynch slamming her head on the ground outside the home they shared.
She later helped prosecutors bring a case against Lynch that ended with him being imprisoned for his crimes against Karen and previous ex-girlfriends.
Terrorised: Divorcee Karen Walkup suffered months of physical and mental abuse at the hands of then boyfriend Stephen Lynch, pictured, whom she described as ‘Jekyll and Hyde’
Scars: Karen following an operation which she underwent after Lynch broke her nose. She recalled how she had her face smashed against the car window and on the ground outside
Priority: Karen described how she was concerned for her young daughter’s well-being
Speaking to Pick Me Up!, Karen said how she met Lynch, a friend of a friend, on a dating app in December 2012, three years after her marriage had ended.
She quickly fell for her ‘generous’ suitor and introduced him to her daughter, then three, just weeks after they first met.
‘Stephen would buy me flowers, wine and dine me. He seemed the perfect boyfriend,’ she told the magazine.
By early 2013 Karen and her daughter had moved into Lynch’s home.
A month later, Karen was given her first glimpse of his violent and controlling nature when she received a text message from a male friend while they were working out together at the gym.
Isolated: During her relationship with Lynch, Karen drew away from friends and family. Pictured, Karen, left, with her sister and mother
She said: ‘Suddenly, the atmosphere went cold. Starting to yell, Stephen was the angriest I’d ever seen him – nasty insults rolling off his tongue.’
Karen held back tears as she left the building and told herself that he was being ‘silly’ and ‘insecure’. Lynch caught up with her as she climbed into the car.
Moments later he grabbed her head and smashed it against the car window.
Beaten: Karen after her nose was broken by Lynch in one of the vicious attacks
Karen continued: ‘I was on autopilot as I drove off without even thinking, blood dripping from my face.’
Desperate to rationalise the attack, Karen told herself it was her fault for texting another man.
Hours later Lynch apologised. It was the start of a terrifying pattern of violent outbursts followed by seemingly sincere apologies.
‘One minute, he was doting on me,’ Karen recalled. ‘Next, he turned into a monster, raining punches, screaming insults. Jekyll and Hyde. I lived on the edge, waiting for his next attack. Walking on eggshells in case I did something he didn’t like.’
Karen continued to blame herself for the abuse and became increasingly isolated from her friends and family.
In November 2013, nearly a year after she and Lynch had first messaged, the couple spent a romantic evening together that ended in her fleeing from their home with blood dripping from her face.
Lynch flew into a rage after a male friend commented on a Facebook post Karen had written about their romantic night.
Empowered: Karen, pictured today, help police and prosecutors bring Lynch to justice
He punched her in the face, splitting her nose. Dripping blood, Karen made a dash for the door and screamed for help. Lynch grabbed her head, pulling out clumps of her hair and slamming her head to the floor outside.
Concerned neighbours phoned police but Lynch fled before officers arrived. He was on the run for two weeks before he was arrested.
During that time he made contact with Karen and begged her to take him back. Karen resisted for the sake of her young daughter.
In January 2014Lynch was ordered to carry out community service and put on a domestic abuse rehabilitation course.
A year later Karen found out through a mutual friend that Lynch had a new girlfriend and went to the police, determined that no one else would endure the same suffering.
Through their investigation, detectives discovered three other victims. Their testimonies led to a case being brought against Lynch.
In January Lynch was convicted of a series of domestic abuse offences against three women at the Sheriff Court in Kirkcaldy. He was later jailed for two years.