Woman left paralysed after her neck was snapped by jealous lover shows incredible bravery as she opens up about ‘difficult journey’ in unexpected statement outside court

The victim of a jealous boyfriend who broke her neck when he threatened to leave her has bravely spoken out about the ‘tough journey’ she faced after being left paralyzed for life and vowed to help other women suffering from domestic violence.

Robert Easom was today jailed for 16 years after he flew into an ‘uncontrollable’ rage and launched a ‘wicked’ and ‘forceful’ attack on 57-year-old Trudi Burgess.

Ms Burgess was paralyzed from the chest down after Easom, 56, pinned her to a bed and then put his entire body weight on her neck until it broke; Mrs Burgess believed he was ‘going to die’.

Ms Burgess needed an 11-hour surgery, spent more than three months in the intensive care unit and now requires 24-hour care.

After being sentenced to 16 years in prison today and having her sentence extended for a further four years, Ms Burgess bravely detailed her ‘incredibly difficult journey’ and thanked those who have supported her since she was attacked.

In an impromptu speech, he paid tribute to ‘the people who get me through each day, the people who keep me going, every single professional, every member of my family, and my close friends who have been there for me every step of the way.’

He expressed his gratitude to the justice system and the intensive care staff at the Royal Preston Hospital who ‘taught me how to breathe again when I thought I might never breathe again’. He also thanked the staff at Southport Hospital, where he received rehabilitation.

Asked how he felt following the sentencing, he continued: ‘I’m incredibly sorry, I’m glad justice has been done, but it’s not a happy day because I’m like this every day for the rest of my life and it’s an incredibly difficult situation to deal with.

Horrifying attack left 57-year-old teacher paralyzed and now requires 24-hour care

‘When I looked at him, I felt complete pity and sadness for his inability to understand who he really was and the rehabilitation he needed.’

Showing the extent of her compassion, she admitted that she still felt ‘great love’ for the man who left her with life-changing injuries, adding that with the right help, she could understand his actions.

She said: ‘I’m really sorry because there was a great love, I think there still is. I think he is a very confused person and might regret it if he gets help. He needs to understand what he’s doing. Someone needs to help him.’

A statement was also read to the media on behalf of Ms Burgess; Here Burgess promised to ‘look forward with determination, strength and ambition to make people aware of the signs of oppressive and controlling behavior and abuse’.

She added: ‘The love I have in my life is so much greater than any injury I have suffered or any pain I will endure. My grandchildren and children are everything to me. They are my focus.

‘I refuse to let the abuse I experienced be the final word on who I am. From this point on, I want to help others.

‘If my voice can help even one woman leave before the violence escalates, then something positive will have come out of all this.’

Easom denied deliberately breaking her neck and intending to cause her serious harm, but a jury at Preston Crown Court in November took less than 27 minutes to find him guilty following a trial.

Trudi Burgess speaks outside the court after Easom was sentenced to 16 years in prison on Friday

During the hearing, the court heard that mother-of-two Mrs Burgess was grieving the death of her husband from a brain tumour, and was left ’emotionally vulnerable’ when she met Easom, who was her sister’s gardener.

Their relationship was initially the ‘stunning, passionate and loving’ she wanted, but it later became ‘abusive and violent’ and she became ‘alienated’ from her family.

By February 2025, after spending the night at Easom’s home in Chipping in the Ribble Valley, near Chorley, Lancashire, she mustered the courage to tell him the relationship was over.

After flying into a ‘blind’ rage, Easom launched his ‘unprovoked and deliberate attack’.

He swore at Mrs. Burgess, and despite her begging him not to hurt her, he grabbed her, moved her, and fell to his knees at the end of the bed.

He then used both hands or his chest to put his ‘whole body weight’ behind his head, pushing it down and forcing his chin towards his chest.

Miss Burgess screamed but Easom continued and then ‘heard a crack and all feeling in her body went away’.

Giving evidence, Ms Burgess told the jury: ‘I think I screamed, but when he folded my head in, I didn’t make a sound, I couldn’t scream.’

‘I couldn’t get out and it was so strong there was absolutely no way out of it.

‘And then he kept folding my head in, in, and in.

‘ I kept thinking, ‘It’s going to stop now’ and ‘I’m going to die.’

Ms Burgess added that she remembered going back and telling Easom: ‘Oh my God, I can’t feel anything in my body, you’ve ruined both our lives.’

Easom initially said Ms Burgess was ‘fine’ but when she realized she couldn’t move she put her head in her hands and said: ‘Oh God Trudi, what have I done?

However, when asked what happened to Easom in the 999 call to the jury, he replied: ‘He has had an accident and cannot move.’

He added: ‘He fell out of bed and had a really bad fall.’

When paramedics arrived at their home, he told them the couple were ‘being spoiled’ and ‘playing’.

But Ms Burgess later told police there had been no fall or playfight and that Easom had deliberately injured her.

Harrowing footage provided by Lancashire Constabulary shows the moment officers asked Ms Burgess, who was bedridden and unable to speak and had tubes inserted into her throat and nose, if her partner was right in claiming her injuries were caused by ‘fighting play’.

He shook his head defiantly in response to the question.

When asked if Easom had “intentionally” harmed her, the teacher could only nod in response.

Trudi Burgess, 57, was paralyzed from the chest down

Mother-of-two Burgess was grieving the death of her husband Craig from a brain tumor and was ’emotionally vulnerable’ when she met Easom

Hospital CT scans confirmed his neck was broken and he may never walk again, and he now requires 24-hour care.

Easom had previously attacked Ms Burgess.

He once wrapped Miss Burgess’s head in a sheet until she could no longer breathe, and on another occasion he headbutted her when she complained that there weren’t enough plates or cutlery to entertain her friends for dinner.

He pleaded guilty to these two attacks and had previously admitted using coercive and controlling behavior between July 2017 and February 2025.

Easom also admitted breaking Burgess’ neck and causing his tetraplegia, but denied intending to cause him very serious harm.

Following his arrest, Easom told police in a prepared statement that he would never do anything deliberately to harm Ms Burgess.

‘I love Trudi more than life itself,’ he said.