A woman was left paralysed after her ex pushed her over a bannister and broke her spine because she refused to give him a ‘New Year’s kiss’.
Barry Shankly, 45, attacked Janine Kazmi, 38, two months after Janine ended the relationship due to his abuse.
She had relunctantly remained friends with him as it was ‘easier than dealing with him unhappy’ and agreed to celebrate New Year’s Eve together.
But as they were about to leave his house in Dalmornock, Scotland, he tried to kiss her.
When she rebutted him Shankly became ‘enraged’ and shoved her over the bannister.
Janine woke-up with two fractured vertebrae and when she initially couldn’t remember what happened, Shankly told her she had accidently fallen.
But she soon regained her memory of the incident, and told police not only what had happened that night but of the months of ‘controlling and violent behaviour’ she’d endured while they were together.
Shankly was found guilty of engaging in a course of conduct which was abusive of his partner or ex-partner at Glasgow High Court in July 2024 and sentenced to 14 years in prison.
Janine is now hoping to help other survivors of domestic abuse by encouraging people to ‘speak out’.
Speaking about the impact of the attack,the peer support worker, said: ‘I’ll never walk again and I’m not able to have kids due to my injury.
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‘Not only did he take away my life, but he stopped another one happening.
‘I never imaged my life this way, but you’ve got to put in the work – mentally and physically.’
Janine met Shankly on a dating site October 2016, while she was living and working in Thailand.
The pair began a long-distance relationship, before Shankly invited her to move into his flat in Glasgow, Scotland, in September 2019.
Janine said she began experiencing increasing “controlling” behaviour from Shankly after the move.
‘He checked my phone and locked me in the flat. I wasn’t allowed friends – he isolated me from everyone,’ she recalled.
Things escalated during a trip to Lisbon, Portugal, in January 2020, when Shankly ‘stamped on her mobile’ and ‘pushed’ her over – causing her to fall and hit her head.
‘It was meant to be a happy time, but I was pushed, pulled, threatened,’ she said.
‘He promised it wouldn’t happen again, and I fell for his lies.’
In October 2020 Janine decided to end things and it was on December 31 that year, Shankly attempted to kiss her.
‘I told him our relationship wasn’t like that anymore and he pushed me,’ she said.
‘On impact apparently, I was coherent – it must have been the shock and adrenaline.
‘But I lost consciousness and woke-up in hospital with no memory of the fall.’
Janine was admitted to Glasgow Royal Infirmary and underwent surgery on her spine on January 6, 2021.
She was later told be doctors she had fractured her spine between the 23rd and 25th vertebrae and would be left paraplegic.
‘I was on my own when I got the news. I was devastated. My life changed in an instant.’
Shankly visited Janine in hospital and ‘fed’ her ‘lies’ about the fall.
‘He said I was sat on the banninster on the phone when I fell off.
‘But my memory started coming back and I knew there was no phone call.
‘He was telling people different things and it didn’t add up.’
Janine was eventually transferred to The London Spinal Cord Injury Centre, Stanmore, London, for rehabilitation and eventually moved to Southend.
Shankly was arrested and pleaded not guilty. The case went to High Court, Glasgow, in July 2024 and Janine joined via video link to give her evidence, before he was found guilty and jailed.
Janine went on to spend two years living in temporary housing between 2021-2023 that was ‘inaccessible’ while waiting for a permanent property
She eventually got her own council property in Southend, Essex, but claims it took a further two years for adjustments to be made.
She said: ‘I had to pursue them to get it sorted. I didn’t have a suitable bathroom or kitchen for years.
‘It was so degrading – he’s in prison but at least he had access to a toilet.’
Encouring other domestic violence survivors to speak out, she said: ‘If anyone asks me about my disability, I tell them what happened.
‘I’m not ashamed – it’s important to spread awareness. Suicide rates in people with spinal injuries is high.
‘If you don’t see improvements in the first five years, it’s unlikely you ever will.
‘That’s too hard for some people to get their head around. It’s bloody hard, but there is life after a spinal injury.’
Cllr Anne Jones, cabinet member for housing and communities, at Southend on Sea City Council, said the council was ‘committed to supporting residents with disabilities and ensuring they have access to housing that meets their needs’.
She added, however, that for privacy reasons she can’t comment on individual cases.
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