April 5, 2023 • 20 mins
What if the person you thought was your soulmate turned out to be your worst nightmare? That's what happened to Alex Skeel, who survived years of brutal domestic abuse at the hands of his girlfriend, Jordan. In this powerful and emotional episode, I follow Alex's journey from a seemingly perfect relationship to the harrowing realization of his predicament and the courage it takes to break free from the grip of abuse.
This episode assists in recognizing that abuse and victimhood are not defined by gender, and the changes needed to better support and advocate for all victims of domestic violence. Don't miss this inspiring story that will resonate with anyone who's ever faced the darkness and found the strength to emerge victorious.
Sources:
- https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/6080402/alex-skeel-jordan-worth-domestic-abuse-bbc-three/
- https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-6716559/Abused-girlfriend-Alex-Skeel-reveals-injuries-Jordan-Worth.html
- https://medium.com/@criminalmatters/the-alex-skeel-domestic-abuse-case-e699b80343cf
- The BBC special, “I Survived: The Case of Alex Skeel and his abusive girlfriend” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jz9CVFKRK6s
- Private Stories Podcast with Psychologist Dr. Becky Spelman interviews Alex Skeel
- https://vocal.media/journal/the-alex-skeel-domestic-abuse-case
1 in 3 is intended for mature audiences. Episodes contain explicit content and may be triggering to some.
If you are in the United States and need help right now, call the national domestic violence hotline at 800-799-7233 or text the word “start” to 88788.
Contact 1 in 3:
- Send your emails to 1in3podcast@gmail.com
- Follow on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok @1in3podcast
- Check out the website https://www.1in3podcast.com/
Thank you for listening and please remember to rate, review & subscribe!
Cover art by Laura Swift Dahlke
Music by Tim Crowe
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi Warriors, welcome to 1-3.
I'm your host, ingrid.
Today I'm bringing you a storyyou may have heard before.
It's worth hearing again.
If you have, brace yourself.
if you haven't.
It's the story of how a mansurvived the brutal abuse he
suffered from his young, petitegirlfriend, abuse that left him
(00:21):
just ten days from death.
This is the story of Alex'sskill.
Alex and his twin brother, luke,were born on August 17, 1995.
(00:44):
They grew up in Bedford,england.
Alex was preoccupied withfootball and had not dated
before.
He didn't really pay attentionto the opposite sex until he met
Jordan in 2012.
I bet you can guess what shewas like when they first started
hanging out.
She was attentive, caring,loving and completely interested
(01:06):
in everything about Alex.
She charmed his friends.
They described her as cool,friendly, quiet, timid and just
lovely and delightful.
But ever so slowly that changed.
It was subtle at first.
She mentioned she didn't likewhen Alex would wear gray.
(01:26):
She favored his hair a certainway.
She didn't like his shoes.
These things didn't really seemlike much at that point and
Alex still wanted to impressJordan, so he complied with her
preferences.
In April 2013, jordan turned 18.
Alex's parents took them to seethe Lion King performance in
(01:47):
London.
Alex got up to use restroom andwhen he returned to their seats
, jordan was gone.
Alex and his family searchedfrantically for her for nearly
an hour.
He finally found her sitting inthe lobby of the hotel laughing
.
Naturally this concerned hisfamily, but Alex brushed it off
(02:09):
because she never acted likethat when it was just the two of
them.
Later that summer, in August,alex and Luke celebrated their
18th birthday.
Their mother wanted to throw abig party for them with over 100
guests in attendance.
Well, into the party, jordansuddenly began shouting at a
family friend.
That family friend was anattractive 15 year old girl.
(02:34):
The party abruptly stopped andeveryone just stared at the
commotion.
Like I said, alex had neverbeen in a previous relationship,
so he thought this must just benormal behavior.
When his friends told himotherwise and that he should
leave, alex couldn't.
He loved Jordan and wanted tolook after her.
(02:55):
Not long after that, however,alex did end it.
Jordan's behavior had continuedand she eventually broke the SIM
card to his phone.
That move made something clickfor Alex.
He realized everyone had beenright about Jordan.
It was about two days followingthe breakup when Jordan arrived
(03:17):
at Alex's parents' house totell them she was pregnant.
Now you may be thinking nicetrick, right.
Alex's mom thought the samething and had Jordan take a
pregnancy test right there inthe house.
It turns out she wasn't lying.
Of course, alex's firstthoughts were worry and concern.
(03:39):
You know the typical youngparent looking at their future,
wondering how am I going tomanage this?
Despite his anxieties, alexstepped up.
He told Jordan he still couldnot be in a relationship with
her, but he would absolutelystand by her side and support
her throughout the pregnancy andthe life of the child.
(03:59):
Jordan left and Alex didn't seeor hear from her for over a
year.
Their son was born in May 2014.
Alex's mom received a text fromJordan in August asking if she
wanted to meet her grandson.
The family immediately fell inlove with a sweet baby boy.
(04:20):
Jordan seemed different too.
She was more attentive, caringand a lovely mother.
Alex, on the other hand, wasstill quite bitter, so the
family arranged for him to meethis son without Jordan present.
He brought his grandfather,whom he loved dearly, along for
(04:41):
the introduction.
From that point forward, jordanwould bring the baby by every
weekend.
Everyone was delighted to seethe changes in Jordan.
Soon she was living with theskills and the relationship
between she and Alex rekindlesby January 2015.
I wish I could say that's theend and they all lived happily
(05:04):
ever after, but we know thatdidn't happen.
Instead, jordan's true colorsbegan to resurface.
As Alex and Jordan were drivingthrough the neighborhood, the
family friend Jordan hadpreviously yelled at was walking
along.
Jordan immediately beganscreaming assaults at her again.
(05:25):
Alex's mom confronted her aboutthis and said they were not
going to tolerate that behavioragain.
Jordan immediately packed uptheir things.
She told Alex's choice was tostay with his family or leave
with her.
Jordan had their son, whichmade Alex's decision clear.
(05:47):
He moved out of the house anddidn't see his family for the
next two years.
The three moved in with Jordan'sfamily for about 18 months.
This is where she methodicallybegan to isolate Alex.
She got him a new phone with anew phone number.
Obviously, she didn't transferhis contacts over.
(06:10):
She deleted his Facebookaccount and created a joint
account she would be able tomonitor.
She even got rid of thePlayStation because that was
just another way he couldcommunicate with friends.
Alex's mother was so desperatefor contact She sent money
through mobile banking with anote saying I love you.
She received a response I hateyou Never contact me again.
(06:37):
Hey, remember Alex'sgrandfather I mentioned earlier,
the one Alex had a very closerelationship with.
Alex actually considered himthe most important person in his
life.
Well, jordan came home one dayand said Alex's mother sent a
message to her mother to letthem know his grandfather had
(06:57):
passed away.
Alex was distraught.
He was angry with himself fornot spending more time with his
grandfather.
He couldn't let go of theknowledge.
He never said goodbye.
Hours later, jordan asked Alexwhy he was so upset.
When he reminded her of theloss of his grandfather, she
matter of factly said he's notdead.
(07:19):
She had fabricated the entirestory and let him mourn for
hours.
In July 2016, the little familymoved to Stewartby in
Bedfordshire.
Alex describes the first monthas wonderful.
They had a nice house.
They were getting along wellwithout any fighting.
(07:40):
At this time they talked abouthaving a baby.
Now you may be judging, or atleast wondering, why Alex would
think that was a good idea.
But remember, jordan had goodstreaks, long periods of time
where even Alex's friends andfamily believed she had changed.
Of course, alex wanted tobelieve in the woman he loved
(08:04):
and already shared one childwith.
And let's not forget to mentionthe complete mind fuck.
She was pulling on him.
The control was oh so subtleEnough so that reality became
fuzzy.
So we won't judge the goodperson who was attempting to
hold on to the good he saw andthe other person.
(08:25):
And that other person gotpregnant right away.
They were thrilled.
Then things began to changeagain.
Jordan didn't like Alex's joband said it wasn't good enough,
so she had him quit.
At the time she was attendinguniversity.
Since he no longer had a job togo to, she insisted he drive
(08:48):
along with her and wait in thecar while she was in class.
She needed to keep tabs on himbecause she was concerned he
would try to go see his parents.
In the meantime, she continuedto cut off all of his friends
and family by sending themhateful messages through
Facebook.
Now that Alex was utterlyisolated socially and
(09:11):
financially, things took an evendarker turn.
Jordan first became physicallyabusive by using a brush to hit
him whenever she was upset.
One time the brush actuallybroke off part of his tooth.
Jordan would continuouslyquestion Alex on his past
behaviors.
(09:31):
For instance, she would claimshe knew about things he had
done with other girls.
These accusations were untrueand Alex told her as much.
Instead of believing him, shedecided she needed to implement
a new plan to force out thetruth.
While he was sleeping, shebegan using a glass bottle to
(09:52):
hit him over the head.
When he would awake, obviouslydazed, she would ask what he was
thinking about.
Alex later noted Jordan wouldhit him in the head at least
three times a day for over threemonths.
He estimated the total wasaround 1,000 times.
Jordan began to control whatand when Alex could eat.
(10:16):
She didn't allow him to sleepon the bed, so he slept on the
floor.
Alex recalled he got used tothe pain of being hit in the
head with a bottle, so Jordanstepped it up to a hammer.
Then She would grab serratedkitchen knives and slash at him.
It appears she had convincedherself that slashing was okay
(10:38):
because she wasn't directlystabbing him.
At 2.30 in the morning one dayin February 2017, alex called
his dad asking for help.
When he arrived to the house,the lights went out.
His father pounded on the doorand Alex yelled for him to go
away.
The police recalled and wentinside to investigate.
(11:02):
When they came out, theyinformed his father.
Alex and Jordan had a fight,but were okay now They had
separated the two.
They did know Alex was walkingwith a limp.
The brush, the bottle, thehammer, the knives even a
(11:22):
screwdriver wasn't the worst ofit.
Jordan would boil water andpour it onto Alex.
He would beg to get into an icebath afterward, which she would
allow briefly, just as he wouldfeel relief, she would make him
get out.
If he didn't, she would pourboiling water on him again.
(11:45):
Her daughter was born in May2017.
Alex hoped this would bringchange to Jordan And it did For
three days.
Then the abuse started again.
On June 3rd 2017, neighborscalled the police because they
heard the couple fighting.
They mentioned hearing Alex sayIt's not my fault, get off me,
(12:09):
stop hurting me.
Jordan answered the door whenthe police arrived and said
there had been an accident.
They found a serrated kitchenknife on the floor and Alex's
bloody arm wrapped in a towel.
He was taken to the hospital,but before he could go into
surgery, jordan walked him outof the hospital.
The staff begged them to stay.
(12:32):
The medical personnel evenasked Alex directly if it was
safe for him to go home.
He said yes.
He explained all the injurieshe had done to himself.
On June 10th 2017, neighborscalled the police again.
The same police officer fromthe previous night answered the
(12:52):
call.
He smiled and was gentle whenhe spoke with Alex.
He noted how Alex would look atthe ground when he answered
questions.
Alex still insisted theinjuries were accidental or
self-inflicted.
It was very clear to thisobservant officer that Alex was
mistreated.
His behavior, his bruised, cutand scarred body, his gaunt
(13:17):
features all shrieked abuse.
The officer brought Alex to hispatrol car.
He explained they were notgoing to go anywhere until Alex
told the truth.
He emphasized the need toensure safety for himself and
his children.
Alex still refused to implicateJordan.
(13:39):
This is another part of thestory where you may be screaming
, pleading for Alex to say whathappened.
After all, he is with a policeofficer.
He must be safe, right.
But let's put ourselves inAlex's situation one more time.
He had been manipulated fromthe beginning to fall in love
(14:02):
with a woman who didn't trulyexist The sweet, attentive,
caring Jordan.
When she would become angrywith him, he learned to believe
it was because of something hedid or didn't do.
Initially he may have beenchasing the good memories,
trying to alter his actions tohave life just returned to
(14:23):
happier times Then, as the abuseprogressed from emotional,
psychological and financial tophysical.
He may have again looked athimself to figure out what he
did to cause the attack.
As he was deprived of food,sleep and independence, his
(14:44):
reality most likely became evenmore clouded.
How can one think clearly atthat point Then?
I imagine he was in survivalmode, just trying to have
minimal interaction to avoidabuse, keep himself and his
children safe and alive, and hehad legitimate fear for the
(15:06):
latter.
Jordan didn't just threaten himwith more abuse, she vowed to
run him over and kill him if heever left her.
Every move he made, every liehe told to cover the abuse was
to avoid any repercussion, notto mention who could he turn to.
(15:29):
Jordan had successfully isolatedhim.
He couldn't speak with friendsor family anymore.
He didn't know any of theneighbors.
And let's be honest, he's a man.
She's a petite, well-spoken,educated woman.
If he went to the police, wouldthey even believe him?
Would they somehow blame him?
(15:52):
Yes, he suffered abuse if hestayed, but at least he knew
what to expect.
If he attempted to leave orexpose the truth and failed,
there's no telling what wouldhave happened to him or his
children.
So when he had an opportunityto divulge his circumstances, we
(16:13):
can't blame him for not jumpingat the chance.
Unfortunately for Alex, thatofficer was not backing down.
He turned off his body cam andtold Alex it was now safe to
tell him anything And this timeWarriors.
Alex took advantage of theopportunity.
(16:33):
He hastily admitted what hadbeen happening to him.
Jordan was immediately arrestedand taken in for questioning.
Alex was taken to the hospital.
Over the course of the abuse,he had lost approximately 4
stone, which is 56 pounds.
When he was rescued, he weighed7 stone, which is 98 pounds.
(16:57):
The medical team that examinedAlex determined he was 10 days
from death.
He quickly returned home to theopen arms of his friends and
family Within 5 days.
His children were returned tohim and have been with him ever
since.
On September 28, 2017, jordanWorth was charged with 17 counts
(17:19):
.
She pleaded guilty to 3 ofthose charges.
On April 13, 2018, jordanbecame the first female in the
United Kingdom to be convictedof controlling or coercive
behavior.
She was sentenced to 6 months.
She also received 2 7-yearsentences to be served
(17:40):
concurrently for wounding withintent and causing grievous
bodily harm.
It's said the day of sentencingshe had no remorse and she
quote didn't blame Alex foranything she did to him.
Reportedly.
She was released in 2022, buthas an indefinite restraining
order for no contact with Alex.
(18:02):
Alex Skel has continued to carefor his two children and has
incorporated his passion forfootball back into his life once
again.
He advocates for domesticviolence victims and provides
education in that arena.
He is proactive with MankindInitiative, a domestic violence
(18:23):
program assisting men.
Gender can often play a role ingetting adequate and timely
help to a domestic violencevictim.
That's just one aspect ofdomestic violence.
We need to change and wecertainly have our work cut out
for us.
Alex's friend, jordan Parker,said this quote a victim is a
(18:46):
victim and an abuser is anabuser.
There can't be any gender tiedto it, because it doesn't matter
.
A victim still hurts whetherthey are a male or a female, and
an abuser is still just asnasty whether they are a male or
a female.
It's as simple as that endquote.
As always, links to sources usedfor this episode can be found
(19:09):
in the show notes, and I will beback next week with another
story for you.
Until then, have each other'sback, stay strong and always
remember you are not alone.
Find more information, registeras a guest or leave a review by
going to the website1and3podcastcom.
(19:31):
That's the number 1, i-n thenumber 3, podcastcom.
Follow 1and3 on Instagram,facebook and Twitter at
1and3podcast.
To help me out, please rememberto rate, review and subscribe.
1and3 is a.5.
Pinoy production music writtenand performed by Tim Crow.
Hi Warriors, welcome to 1-3.
I'm your host, ingrid.
Today I'm bringing you a storyyou may have heard before.
It's worth hearing again.
If you have, brace yourself.
if you haven't.
It's the story of how a mansurvived the brutal abuse he
suffered from his young, petitegirlfriend, abuse that left him
(00:21):
just ten days from death.
This is the story of Alex'sskill.
Alex and his twin brother, luke,were born on August 17, 1995.
(00:44):
They grew up in Bedford,england.
Alex was preoccupied withfootball and had not dated
before.
He didn't really pay attentionto the opposite sex until he met
Jordan in 2012.
I bet you can guess what shewas like when they first started
hanging out.
She was attentive, caring,loving and completely interested
(01:06):
in everything about Alex.
She charmed his friends.
They described her as cool,friendly, quiet, timid and just
lovely and delightful.
But ever so slowly that changed.
It was subtle at first.
She mentioned she didn't likewhen Alex would wear gray.
(01:26):
She favored his hair a certainway.
She didn't like his shoes.
These things didn't really seemlike much at that point and
Alex still wanted to impressJordan, so he complied with her
preferences.
In April 2013, jordan turned 18.
Alex's parents took them to seethe Lion King performance in
(01:47):
London.
Alex got up to use restroom andwhen he returned to their seats
, jordan was gone.
Alex and his family searchedfrantically for her for nearly
an hour.
He finally found her sitting inthe lobby of the hotel laughing
.
Naturally this concerned hisfamily, but Alex brushed it off
(02:09):
because she never acted likethat when it was just the two of
them.
Later that summer, in August,alex and Luke celebrated their
18th birthday.
Their mother wanted to throw abig party for them with over 100
guests in attendance.
Well, into the party, jordansuddenly began shouting at a
family friend.
That family friend was anattractive 15 year old girl.
(02:34):
The party abruptly stopped andeveryone just stared at the
commotion.
Like I said, alex had neverbeen in a previous relationship,
so he thought this must just benormal behavior.
When his friends told himotherwise and that he should
leave, alex couldn't.
He loved Jordan and wanted tolook after her.
(02:55):
Not long after that, however,alex did end it.
Jordan's behavior had continuedand she eventually broke the SIM
card to his phone.
That move made something clickfor Alex.
He realized everyone had beenright about Jordan.
It was about two days followingthe breakup when Jordan arrived
(03:17):
at Alex's parents' house totell them she was pregnant.
Now you may be thinking nicetrick, right.
Alex's mom thought the samething and had Jordan take a
pregnancy test right there inthe house.
It turns out she wasn't lying.
Of course, alex's firstthoughts were worry and concern.
(03:39):
You know the typical youngparent looking at their future,
wondering how am I going tomanage this?
Despite his anxieties, alexstepped up.
He told Jordan he still couldnot be in a relationship with
her, but he would absolutelystand by her side and support
her throughout the pregnancy andthe life of the child.
(03:59):
Jordan left and Alex didn't seeor hear from her for over a
year.
Their son was born in May 2014.
Alex's mom received a text fromJordan in August asking if she
wanted to meet her grandson.
The family immediately fell inlove with a sweet baby boy.
(04:20):
Jordan seemed different too.
She was more attentive, caringand a lovely mother.
Alex, on the other hand, wasstill quite bitter, so the
family arranged for him to meethis son without Jordan present.
He brought his grandfather,whom he loved dearly, along for
(04:41):
the introduction.
From that point forward, jordanwould bring the baby by every
weekend.
Everyone was delighted to seethe changes in Jordan.
Soon she was living with theskills and the relationship
between she and Alex rekindlesby January 2015.
I wish I could say that's theend and they all lived happily
(05:04):
ever after, but we know thatdidn't happen.
Instead, jordan's true colorsbegan to resurface.
As Alex and Jordan were drivingthrough the neighborhood, the
family friend Jordan hadpreviously yelled at was walking
along.
Jordan immediately beganscreaming assaults at her again.
(05:25):
Alex's mom confronted her aboutthis and said they were not
going to tolerate that behavioragain.
Jordan immediately packed uptheir things.
She told Alex's choice was tostay with his family or leave
with her.
Jordan had their son, whichmade Alex's decision clear.
(05:47):
He moved out of the house anddidn't see his family for the
next two years.
The three moved in with Jordan'sfamily for about 18 months.
This is where she methodicallybegan to isolate Alex.
She got him a new phone with anew phone number.
Obviously, she didn't transferhis contacts over.
(06:10):
She deleted his Facebookaccount and created a joint
account she would be able tomonitor.
She even got rid of thePlayStation because that was
just another way he couldcommunicate with friends.
Alex's mother was so desperatefor contact She sent money
through mobile banking with anote saying I love you.
She received a response I hateyou Never contact me again.
(06:37):
Hey, remember Alex'sgrandfather I mentioned earlier,
the one Alex had a very closerelationship with.
Alex actually considered himthe most important person in his
life.
Well, jordan came home one dayand said Alex's mother sent a
message to her mother to letthem know his grandfather had
(06:57):
passed away.
Alex was distraught.
He was angry with himself fornot spending more time with his
grandfather.
He couldn't let go of theknowledge.
He never said goodbye.
Hours later, jordan asked Alexwhy he was so upset.
When he reminded her of theloss of his grandfather, she
matter of factly said he's notdead.
(07:19):
She had fabricated the entirestory and let him mourn for
hours.
In July 2016, the little familymoved to Stewartby in
Bedfordshire.
Alex describes the first monthas wonderful.
They had a nice house.
They were getting along wellwithout any fighting.
(07:40):
At this time they talked abouthaving a baby.
Now you may be judging, or atleast wondering, why Alex would
think that was a good idea.
But remember, jordan had goodstreaks, long periods of time
where even Alex's friends andfamily believed she had changed.
Of course, alex wanted tobelieve in the woman he loved
(08:04):
and already shared one childwith.
And let's not forget to mentionthe complete mind fuck.
She was pulling on him.
The control was oh so subtleEnough so that reality became
fuzzy.
So we won't judge the goodperson who was attempting to
hold on to the good he saw andthe other person.
(08:25):
And that other person gotpregnant right away.
They were thrilled.
Then things began to changeagain.
Jordan didn't like Alex's joband said it wasn't good enough,
so she had him quit.
At the time she was attendinguniversity.
Since he no longer had a job togo to, she insisted he drive
(08:48):
along with her and wait in thecar while she was in class.
She needed to keep tabs on himbecause she was concerned he
would try to go see his parents.
In the meantime, she continuedto cut off all of his friends
and family by sending themhateful messages through
Facebook.
Now that Alex was utterlyisolated socially and
(09:11):
financially, things took an evendarker turn.
Jordan first became physicallyabusive by using a brush to hit
him whenever she was upset.
One time the brush actuallybroke off part of his tooth.
Jordan would continuouslyquestion Alex on his past
behaviors.
(09:31):
For instance, she would claimshe knew about things he had
done with other girls.
These accusations were untrueand Alex told her as much.
Instead of believing him, shedecided she needed to implement
a new plan to force out thetruth.
While he was sleeping, shebegan using a glass bottle to
(09:52):
hit him over the head.
When he would awake, obviouslydazed, she would ask what he was
thinking about.
Alex later noted Jordan wouldhit him in the head at least
three times a day for over threemonths.
He estimated the total wasaround 1,000 times.
Jordan began to control whatand when Alex could eat.
(10:16):
She didn't allow him to sleepon the bed, so he slept on the
floor.
Alex recalled he got used tothe pain of being hit in the
head with a bottle, so Jordanstepped it up to a hammer.
Then She would grab serratedkitchen knives and slash at him.
It appears she had convincedherself that slashing was okay
(10:38):
because she wasn't directlystabbing him.
At 2.30 in the morning one dayin February 2017, alex called
his dad asking for help.
When he arrived to the house,the lights went out.
His father pounded on the doorand Alex yelled for him to go
away.
The police recalled and wentinside to investigate.
(11:02):
When they came out, theyinformed his father.
Alex and Jordan had a fight,but were okay now They had
separated the two.
They did know Alex was walkingwith a limp.
The brush, the bottle, thehammer, the knives even a
(11:22):
screwdriver wasn't the worst ofit.
Jordan would boil water andpour it onto Alex.
He would beg to get into an icebath afterward, which she would
allow briefly, just as he wouldfeel relief, she would make him
get out.
If he didn't, she would pourboiling water on him again.
(11:45):
Her daughter was born in May2017.
Alex hoped this would bringchange to Jordan And it did For
three days.
Then the abuse started again.
On June 3rd 2017, neighborscalled the police because they
heard the couple fighting.
They mentioned hearing Alex sayIt's not my fault, get off me,
(12:09):
stop hurting me.
Jordan answered the door whenthe police arrived and said
there had been an accident.
They found a serrated kitchenknife on the floor and Alex's
bloody arm wrapped in a towel.
He was taken to the hospital,but before he could go into
surgery, jordan walked him outof the hospital.
The staff begged them to stay.
(12:32):
The medical personnel evenasked Alex directly if it was
safe for him to go home.
He said yes.
He explained all the injurieshe had done to himself.
On June 10th 2017, neighborscalled the police again.
The same police officer fromthe previous night answered the
(12:52):
call.
He smiled and was gentle whenhe spoke with Alex.
He noted how Alex would look atthe ground when he answered
questions.
Alex still insisted theinjuries were accidental or
self-inflicted.
It was very clear to thisobservant officer that Alex was
mistreated.
His behavior, his bruised, cutand scarred body, his gaunt
(13:17):
features all shrieked abuse.
The officer brought Alex to hispatrol car.
He explained they were notgoing to go anywhere until Alex
told the truth.
He emphasized the need toensure safety for himself and
his children.
Alex still refused to implicateJordan.
(13:39):
This is another part of thestory where you may be screaming
, pleading for Alex to say whathappened.
After all, he is with a policeofficer.
He must be safe, right.
But let's put ourselves inAlex's situation one more time.
He had been manipulated fromthe beginning to fall in love
(14:02):
with a woman who didn't trulyexist The sweet, attentive,
caring Jordan.
When she would become angrywith him, he learned to believe
it was because of something hedid or didn't do.
Initially he may have beenchasing the good memories,
trying to alter his actions tohave life just returned to
(14:23):
happier times Then, as the abuseprogressed from emotional,
psychological and financial tophysical.
He may have again looked athimself to figure out what he
did to cause the attack.
As he was deprived of food,sleep and independence, his
(14:44):
reality most likely became evenmore clouded.
How can one think clearly atthat point Then?
I imagine he was in survivalmode, just trying to have
minimal interaction to avoidabuse, keep himself and his
children safe and alive, and hehad legitimate fear for the
(15:06):
latter.
Jordan didn't just threaten himwith more abuse, she vowed to
run him over and kill him if heever left her.
Every move he made, every liehe told to cover the abuse was
to avoid any repercussion, notto mention who could he turn to.
(15:29):
Jordan had successfully isolatedhim.
He couldn't speak with friendsor family anymore.
He didn't know any of theneighbors.
And let's be honest, he's a man.
She's a petite, well-spoken,educated woman.
If he went to the police, wouldthey even believe him?
Would they somehow blame him?
(15:52):
Yes, he suffered abuse if hestayed, but at least he knew
what to expect.
If he attempted to leave orexpose the truth and failed,
there's no telling what wouldhave happened to him or his
children.
So when he had an opportunityto divulge his circumstances, we
(16:13):
can't blame him for not jumpingat the chance.
Unfortunately for Alex, thatofficer was not backing down.
He turned off his body cam andtold Alex it was now safe to
tell him anything And this timeWarriors.
Alex took advantage of theopportunity.
(16:33):
He hastily admitted what hadbeen happening to him.
Jordan was immediately arrestedand taken in for questioning.
Alex was taken to the hospital.
Over the course of the abuse,he had lost approximately 4
stone, which is 56 pounds.
When he was rescued, he weighed7 stone, which is 98 pounds.
(16:57):
The medical team that examinedAlex determined he was 10 days
from death.
He quickly returned home to theopen arms of his friends and
family Within 5 days.
His children were returned tohim and have been with him ever
since.
On September 28, 2017, jordanWorth was charged with 17 counts
(17:19):
.
She pleaded guilty to 3 ofthose charges.
On April 13, 2018, jordanbecame the first female in the
United Kingdom to be convictedof controlling or coercive
behavior.
She was sentenced to 6 months.
She also received 2 7-yearsentences to be served
(17:40):
concurrently for wounding withintent and causing grievous
bodily harm.
It's said the day of sentencingshe had no remorse and she
quote didn't blame Alex foranything she did to him.
Reportedly.
She was released in 2022, buthas an indefinite restraining
order for no contact with Alex.
(18:02):
Alex Skel has continued to carefor his two children and has
incorporated his passion forfootball back into his life once
again.
He advocates for domesticviolence victims and provides
education in that arena.
He is proactive with MankindInitiative, a domestic violence
(18:23):
program assisting men.
Gender can often play a role ingetting adequate and timely
help to a domestic violencevictim.
That's just one aspect ofdomestic violence.
We need to change and wecertainly have our work cut out
for us.
Alex's friend, jordan Parker,said this quote a victim is a
(18:46):
victim and an abuser is anabuser.
There can't be any gender tiedto it, because it doesn't matter
.
A victim still hurts whetherthey are a male or a female, and
an abuser is still just asnasty whether they are a male or
a female.
It's as simple as that endquote.
As always, links to sources usedfor this episode can be found
(19:09):
in the show notes, and I will beback next week with another
story for you.
Until then, have each other'sback, stay strong and always
remember you are not alone.
Find more information, registeras a guest or leave a review by
going to the website1and3podcastcom.
(19:31):
That's the number 1, i-n thenumber 3, podcastcom.
Follow 1and3 on Instagram,facebook and Twitter at
1and3podcast.
To help me out, please rememberto rate, review and subscribe.
1and3 is a.5.
Pinoy production music writtenand performed by Tim Crow.
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