Sarah Smith loves her 15-year-old twins, Jack* and Emily*.
But family life is a terrifying ordeal for the single mum, who encounters a barrage of verbal and physical abuse from Jack on a daily basis.
Among the shocking incidents, Jack has thrown Sarah against a wall, punched her, and threatened his sister with a knife.
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Sarah, 45, was a civil servant before she had to give up work three years ago because of Jack.
She explains: “I love Jack, but his violence pushes me to breaking point. I’ve had to call the police and now he’s got a caution for assault.
“In our last house, at the peak of the problem, my daughter’s bedroom door had three bolts on it and a panic alarm fitted – it was our ‘safe room’ for when he turned violent.
“When you hold your baby for the first time, you have hopes and dreams for their future.
I never imagined my son would grow up to assault me on a daily basis. We’ve tried everything, from counselling to parenting courses, but nothing works. Both Jack and Emily suffer from Asperger syndrome, but Emily isn’t violent at all. For years, I felt like a bad mum, a failure. More support needs to be provided for parents with violent children.”
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Sarah is far from alone. On average, 11,000 calls are made to parent helpline Family Lives every year by parents being attacked by their own children. It’s a growing problem, and one currently being explored in shocking Channel 5 series My Violent Child.
**To read more, buy Closer magazine, out now. **
**names changed to protect identities. *
For help and support, visit: www.everybodyhurts-derbyshire.org, or call Family Lives on 0808 800 2222/www.familylives.org.uk