'My psychopath ex who gouged out my eyes is about to be let out - and he'll strike again'
A mum is fearful for her own safety as her abusive ex - who rendered her blind following a shocking attack - is about to be released from jail.
Tina Nash, 44, believes the first thing evil Shane Jenkin is going to do is "come straight for her" once he is allowed out of prison. He was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of six years in April 2012 but, after some time in high-security jails and psychiatric hospitals, he was moved to an open prison – often used to prepare prisoners for release.
And now, as early as this summer, the 45-year-old thug will be allowed to walk the streets unsupervised, look for work and visit family, Tina has been informed.
"I'm terrified. He could be stood right behind me in a shop and I wouldn't have a clue because he blinded me. I know he wishes he'd killed me that night because then there would have been no witnesses," Tina said.
Jenkin had gouged out Tina's eyes with his fingers, rendering her blind, during a 12-hour assault. Truro Crown Court heard it was one of the worst cases of domestic abuse the UK had ever seen.
Although he was jailed, Tina now finds herself having nightmares about encountering Jenkin again. The mum, from Cornwall, continued: "I feel very scared for my safety, the Parole Board has said he is vengeful and I've heard from people on his landing [prison wing] he couldn't stop talking about me. I've been warned the first thing he's going to do is come straight for me."
More than 25,000 people have signed a petition opposing Jenkin's release. The Ministry of Justice says all prisoners, including those serving life, must pass "a robust risk assessment" before they are let out of jail.
It is little comfort to Tina, who had to stop training to become a nurse - her dream - due to the injuries she suffered in the attack. She had glass eyes fitted four years after the attack, which means her blindness isn't immediately obvious, and technology enables her to send text messages and shop online.
But Tina, who met Jenkin in a nightclub in Penzance, Cornwall, in 2009, is too scared of being attacked again to leave her house alone and has yet to meet up with many friends she knew before losing her sight.
His first instance of domestic abuse happened within months - on New Year's Eve - after the pair lost each other at a nightclub. Mum-of-two Tina said: "He spat at me, pulled my hair and pushed me on to the pavement so hard my head smacked against the ground. I was devastated, confused, heartbroken." Other episodes eventually led to the sickening 12-hour attack, which happened in o around April 2011.
Jenkin admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent at Truro Crown Court. Tina's memoir, Out Of The Darkness, was published in October 2012, and she became a campaigner for a domestic violence charity, reports Mail Online.
A Ministry of Justice spokesman told the publication: "This was a horrific crime and our thoughts remain with Ms Nash. All prisoners, including those serving life sentences, must pass a robust risk assessment before any move to open conditions and we do not hesitate to move them back to closed prisons if they break the rules."
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