‘She will never be the same again’ - Victim rebuilding her life after horror attack by soldier husband at their Shrewsbury home
She was a bright and bubbly mum-of-four with the world at her feet and had tied the knot with her new husband just three weeks before.
But in just a few minutes Beverley Reeves’ life changed. The 38-year-old accounts clerk was set upon by her husband – a corporal in the Royal Dragoons – in a frenzied attack on the evening of March 31 at the house they shared on Ellesmere Road in Shrewsbury.
He thrust a glass in to her neck leaving her with life-threatening injuries to her carotid artery and jugular vein.
Doctors raced around the clock to save her and her family now face a lifetime of care and compassion to help her deal with her injuries.
He was cleared by a jury of her attempted murder but found guilty of grievous bodily harm with intent.
Her mum Jackie Thompson spoke after the sentence was handed down and said how her daughter is now confused and emotionally broken. She is partially paralysed and suffered from a serious brain injury.
She said: “Bev was newly married, with a bright future ahead. She will never understand what has happened and why the man she undoubtedly loved, and thought loved her, has done this.
“She breaks down in tears daily. She questions ‘why?’ I have no answers for my daughter and the constant feeling that I have let her down so badly.
“However, I am grateful, so grateful that Beverley is alive.
“I can not communicate with her, I can not understand what she says to me when she tries to talk to me.
“Through the frustration of this she suffers with distressing emotional breakdowns and severe anxiety and pushes me away in the most soul destroying way.
“She is still undergoing rehabilitation and we are learning to communicate different ways such as using an app on her phone.
“So many lives has been destroyed by this one thoughtless act.”
Beverley had only been married for three weeks before Reeves attacked her with a glass, thrusting it in to her neck.
“I received the phone call that every parent dreads,” said Jackie.
“I rushed to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital where a team were working on saving the life of my daughter.
“The initial relief that she was alive was short lived as the surgeon said that he thought she may have suffered a brain injury from the loss of blood.”
Within hours the family were told that Beverley’s condition had deteriorated but as nurses prepared to turn off the life support machine, she made a movement.
The decision was then made to rush her to the Royal Stoke Hospital for a brain operation.
This was a success but six months on, while Beverley has made progress, she had not made a recovery.
She has no movement in her right arm and a very weak right leg. She can not stand up or walk far.
“She was a bright, fiercely independent woman with a successful career. She was highly thought of in her job.
“My daughter’s scar to her face might look better but her injuries won’t heal. She has an acquired brain injury, will never be the same person again. I fear for her future. It’s a lonely life ahead for her.”
Speaking after the sentencing Detective Inspector Mark Bellamy, from West Mercia Police said: “Reeves is a dangerous individual who is now serving a lengthy sentence for this horrific attack.
“He subjected his victim to a terrifying ordeal, striking her with a glass and causing severe injuries.
“I would personally like to commend her for her strength and bravery.
“I can only hope that her continuing strength will enable her to face the rest of her life in a normal as possible way, taking some solace from knowing that Reeves will be in prison for a long time.”
