Kate Kniveton, who served as Burton’s Member of Parliament from 2019 to 2024, has bravely shared her experience of abuse during her marriage to former MP Andrew Griffiths. In a deeply emotional interview with UK’s Metro, she accused Griffiths of sexually assaulting her while she slept and verbally abusing their newborn daughter.

Abuse Reached Their Newborn Daughter

Kniveton said her breaking point came when Griffiths turned his anger towards their two-week-old baby. She recalled a disturbing incident where Griffiths, while preparing to leave for Westminster, yelled at the crying newborn, saying, “shut the f*** up.” She described this moment as a clear sign that both she and her daughter were in danger.

“Nobody Would Believe You”

Kniveton spoke about feeling trapped in the relationship. Every time she threatened to report the abuse, Griffiths dismissed her, saying, “Nobody would believe you. I’m the MP here. I’ve got a great relationship with the police, they all think I’m the blue-eyed boy.”

Public Charm, Private Abuse

The couple married in 2013 and separated in 2018. Kniveton described Griffiths as “personable, charming, and charismatic” in public, traits that helped him hide his abusive behaviour behind closed doors. She added, “People don’t think it can happen to professional, middle-class people, but domestic abuse has no boundaries.”

Legal Battles Continued the Trauma

Even after leaving the marriage, Kniveton said the abuse did not stop. Now aged 54, she revealed that Griffiths continued to use the legal system against her. “I am traumatised, not just by the 10 years of abuse I experienced, but the following five years where he continued to use the legal system to abuse me,” she said. She criticised the family court system, saying it often fails to protect vulnerable women and children.

Court Confirmed the Abuse

In 2021, a family court judge ruled that Griffiths had raped and physically assaulted Kniveton during their marriage. This ruling came after Griffiths had already been forced out of his government role. Earlier, it was revealed that he had sent over 2,000 sexually explicit messages to two female constituents in just three weeks, despite once working as a women’s rights advocate and serving as chief of staff to future Prime Minister Theresa May.

Documentary Highlights System Failures

Kniveton’s story now features in a new ITV1 and ITVX documentary titled Breaking The Silence: Kate’s Story. The programme not only covers her personal ordeal but also exposes broader failings in the UK family court system. The documentary highlights that nearly 30,000 family court cases each year in the UK involve domestic abuse allegations.

Physical and Emotional Torture

Kniveton recalled waking up to find Griffiths sexually assaulting her. She explained, “Sometimes I would just think, ‘let it carry on,’ but there would be other times when I cried.” She said that sometimes he would stop when she cried, but other times he wouldn’t. After such incidents, she described how Griffiths would kick her until she fell out of bed. She often locked herself in a spare room or fled the house to escape further harm.

Kniveton’s Fight for Justice

Through sharing her story, Kniveton hopes to raise awareness of domestic abuse and the failures of the UK’s family courts. Her public account serves as both a personal testimony and a call for change to better protect women and children facing similar situations.