Woman 'pretended to be dead' after attacker punched and strangled her

She begged him to take her to hospital but feared he was going to take her somewhere to kill her

A victim of domestic abuse "pretended to be dead" after her attacker punched and strangled her. The woman feared Emiljano Cakraj was going to take her somewhere to kill her.

A court heard Cakraj launched a violent assault on the woman after they were involved in an argument at an address in Forest Town, Mansfield on January 23. He punched her in the head multiple times and put her in a choke hold and squeezed, causing her to feel like she was going to die.

The woman tried to scratch at his arms to get him off her, with the violent 33-year-old also threatening to kill her. She begged Cakraj to take her to King’s Mill Hospital, telling him she would say she had fallen down the stairs.

After making her swear that she wouldn’t tell anyone what had happened, he said he would take her. They got in the car but instead he drove past the hospital and didn’t stop.

At that point the victim, who was on the back seat, assumed Cakraj was going to take her somewhere to kill her and pretended to be dead. Cakraj eventually pulled into a car park and called someone who picked her up and took her to hospital.

The woman suffered bruising to her face and scalp. Cakraj was arrested in the early hours of January 24 and was subsequently charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Cakraj, formerly of Luton, Bedfordshire, appeared at Nottingham Crown Court for sentencing on Friday (October 4) after pleading guilty to the charge. He also pleaded guilty to stalking the victim between March 16 and May 17.

The court heard Cakraj bombarded her with messages, using fake social media accounts, causing her to feel scared. She recognised his voice on some of the calls she received.

One of the threatening messages he sent her featured a blurred picture of her car. The court was told Cakraj later tried to delete the messages he’d sent from his phone.

Cakraj was jailed for three years and made subject of a four-year restraining order.

Victim thanks police officer for making her feel safe

Following his sentencing, the victim sent a thank you message to response officer PC Liam Chance who worked on her case. She said: “I’d like to thank you for working so hard to keep myself and my son safe, for keeping me calm when I would call you in a panic, and for always being available and compassionate.

“Thank you for supporting me through my case, answering all of my continuous messages fast, helping to combine the evidence for the Crown Prosecution Service to secure a conviction, and ultimately making myself and my son feel safe at the worst time of our lives. Most of all thank you for taking domestic violence seriously and not victim blaming. More victims would feel encouraged to come forward and pursue a conviction if they had a case officer like you.”

PC Chance said: “The victim in this case has shown a great deal of strength throughout this investigation following the terrifying ordeal she was put through. Cakraj is clearly a dangerous individual who posed an imminent risk so I am pleased he has now been locked up.

“I hope the conclusion and outcome of this case will help this victim move forward. I also hope it shows people how tackling violence against women in all its forms is a priority for Nottinghamshire Police and that we will always do everything we can to protect and support domestic abuse victims and ensure perpetrators are put behind bars.”