A mum has described how she escaped a controlling marriage to her intrusive husband of eight years after he installed a CCTV camera in their bedroom to watch her every move, Wales Online reports. Kath Bevan's friends noticed she had become a 'scared little girl' around Christopher Bevan as she was left without an inch of privacy after her paranoid partner accused her of having an affair.
Kath first met Bevan in 2004 and they shared a 'happy' relationship together full of fun trips abroad - but it took a turn after the couple got married and moved into their 'forever home'. Kath noticed her husband's behaviour begin to drastically change and confessed that for years she has felt like more of a 'house maid and nanny' rather than a wife and mother.
Terrified Kath went on to find trackers on her phone and Fitbit and even a camera in their bedroom so that she could be watched at all times by her husband. He left Kath feeling like a shell of her normal self as she soon realised that her toxic partner was monitoring every call and text she made.
Kath now wants to share her story with others in the hope she can help someone else suffering in the same situation. On December 16, Bevan was sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for two years for coercive and controlling behaviour.
He had previously pleaded guilty and admitted that his behaviour had been unacceptable and against the law. The pair, who started dating in 2006, moved in together the following year in Swansea and got engaged on Kath's 30th birthday in Mexico.
They went on to have two children and moved into what Kath believed would be their their home for life. However, their relationship first began to deteriorate when Bevan started showing signs of depression which got worse into 2018. At the time Kath had just gone back to work after her maternity leave and said she felt like a 'housemaid and nanny'.
She explained: "I was busy with work and keeping our family together. This was beginning to be a struggle as I had no support or help from Christopher."
Kath was soon accused of having an affair by her husband who proceeded to install a CCTV camera in their kitchen to watch Kath as she worked from home once a week. Things began to become more invasive as Kath said: "Whilst in work I then started to receive 'Find my iPhone' notifications which at the time I didn’t take much notice of.
"Then the harassment started with the numerous phone calls every day.'' The mum said that if she failed to answer she would receive a 'bombardment of texts' and on one occasion Bevan harassed Kath with 50 calls over a one hour time period while she was out for a meal with friends.
The paranoid husband continued to accuse Kath of cheating on him and installed a CCTV camera in every single room in their house including their children's bedrooms. Kath, who was 'stripped of all privacy', said: ''The camera in our bedroom was focused on me sleeping in bed because he believed I was contacting someone whilst he was sleeping.
"During the day time he was watching me changing, dressing and doing general household chores in our bedroom.'' All of Kath's communication through her mobile phone and social media as well as her internet searches were being watched.
If she spent 'too long' on social media, Bevan would stop her from being able to access the internet and she would need to ask permission to be allowed back on it. The frightened woman said that it was at this moment she realised she was trapped as she couldn't communicate with her family and friends about the situation without him knowing.
Kath said: "By this point, my family and friends were worried about what was happening as they could see a complete change in me – I went from being a happy sociable person to being quiet and withdrawn. I was not the person everyone knew."
Kath's worried family had contacted a women's refuge without her knowing as they were desperate to find a way to speak to her alone to find out what was going on. The following weekend Bevan granted Kath special permission for her and the kids to go for a coffee with her parents without him and the mum-of-two was finally able to let her family know what was going on.
Kath explained: "I had a good chat with my brother on the phone and he explained about being in touch with Women’s Refuge and how my living situation was not normal." When Kath arrived back home, Bevan immediately quizzed their daughter on what her mother had been up to and if she had been on the phone with anyone.
When the six-year-old told her father she had been on the call with her brother, Bevan became angry and demanded to see her phone. Kath recalled that was the moment 'the penny dropped' and she rang her parents to pick her and the children up immediately.
The mother, who left the family home in August 2020 and has been living in Cardiff ever since, admitted she did try to rekindle their marriage to 'see if Christopher had changed' but it was obvious that nothing had. Kath had to get in touch with the police to report her ex-husband for stalking when she set up new accounts to gain back control of her privacy and Bevan managed to access them all.
Officers from Dyfed-Powys Police opened up an investigation into Bevan after Kath detailed the experiences she had with him. Kath later spotted Bevan watching her at the end of the road one day when she was out shopping and six months later found a tracking device attached to her car.
In addition to his sentence, Bevan was given a 10-year restraining order by Judge Catherine Richards on Tuesday and was ordered to do a building better relationships course, a rehabilitation course and 150 hours of unpaid work.
Kat has since thanked her friends and Women's Aid for their 'tremendous' support as they helped her to rebuild her life and take control of her actions again. Kath said: "Without my family and friends, I’m not sure where I would be today.
"I have become a stronger person and more importantly, a much happier person than I ever was. I am enjoying my new life and looking forward to what the future brings."
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.
