Erica Latham thought she had found her 'perfect' man when Marc Joseph Brown moved to Manchester to be with her. But the 42-year-old mum-of-two says it wasn't long before Brown's true colours started to show, with the relationship becoming increasingly controlling.
The situation culminated in a horrific attack that left Erica fearing for her life, the Liverpool Echo reports. After Brown was hauled before court for his actions, Erica bravely opened up to support other women in a similar position.
From 'perfect' partner to controlling behaviour
"When I met him, I honestly thought he was the best thing since sliced bread," she said. "I loved everything about him; it seemed like he was perfect. He was interested in all the same things as me, and I actually felt so protected when I was with him."
The pair first met in August 2022. Brown, from Bootle, Merseyside, later moved to live with Erica and her two children - but she says it wasn't long before red flags began to show. She said Brown spent almost all of his time at her home and that the pair were 'in each other's pockets 24/7'. As a result, her own behaviour began to change.
"I would always prioritise him," she said. "I stopped going around to friends' houses. I just stopped involving myself with people."
The attack that changed everything
Erica claims the incident which ultimately led to Brown's conviction came after a series of arguments about her spending time with friends and family. The pair were on their way to pick Erica's daughter up from school when she claims Brown became angry and grew aggressive when she mentioned going to a Chris Brown concert with her daughter.
"I just said to him, as I'm driving, 'Right, do you know what? This is done,'" she said. "He came really close to my face and said, 'I'd rather take your last breath than be homeless on the streets. I'm going nowhere.' And then he just grabbed me by the side of my head and started punching me in the left-hand side of my face. He put my teeth through my lip. I put my arm up, so he started punching my arm. I thought, 'This guy's going to kill me.'"
Erica said she was terrified she would lose control of the vehicle and crash into another car during the busy school run. She added: "I didn't even really feel the injuries. I just thought, 'I'm going to crash into someone.'"
After she brought the car to an emergency stop, Erica said Brown took her phone before getting out of the vehicle, then returned to the driver's side and pushed her out of the way before getting behind the wheel. She said she tried to get back in, but Brown drove away, leaving her leg trapped inside the car as she helplessly clung on.
"Someone was yelling at me to let go," she said. "But I thought if I let go I could go under the car. He took all the skin off my ankle, my toes, my knees. They were bleeding. I lost my shoes. I was scared for my life. I honestly thought I was going to die under my own wheels."
Sentencing and moving forward
Brown eventually stopped as traffic built up around the vehicle, Erica said. He then reportedly carried out a U-turn and drove onto the kerb on the wrong side of the road, narrowly passing a woman with a pram. Erica has not seen him since.
Brown pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. He was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court on August 7 to 20 months in prison, suspended for 18 months, and was handed a three-year restraining order. Erica said she was 'disappointed' by the sentence.
"I wasn't surprised he didn't get a custodial sentence," Erica said. "These cases never seem to." Referring to the three year length of the restraining order, she added: "I don't think life would have been long enough for a restraining order."
Erica said her sister, her sister's partner and her mum had all seen through Brown. Her children did not witness him assaulting her, she said, but they saw the injuries she suffered.
Erica has since opened her own laser removal shop, elaZe, in Droylsden, and is undergoing therapy as she looks towards the future. "I want my children to see that people like that will never win," she said. "They never get you down, and you're always going to be moving forward. You've got to move on. I did feel guilty because I thought, 'I've had this person in my house, I've allowed him near my kids.' But the devil doesn't come dressed in a red cloak. He comes dressed as everything you wish for."
Erica said she continues to suffer from nightmares and believes it will take time before she can trust someone again. "I think it's going to be a long road," she said. "He can just go back to Liverpool and pretend none of it has happened. I just pray he doesn't do it to anyone else."
Her advice to others is simple: "Trust your gut and go. You've got your brain and your heart, all mixed emotions telling you different things. I constantly went with my heart, even if my gut was flipping upside down. That's not butterflies. That's your gut instinct telling you something isn't right."
