(Credits: Netflix)

Netflix viewers everywhere have been left shaken by the harrowing documentary My Wife, My Abuser, which documented the horrific domestic abuse a Yorkshireman suffered at the hands of his wife, Sheree Spencer, for over 20 years.

The documentary, which was originally shown on Channel 5 in March, featured nanny camera footage of the daily abuse Richard Spencer went through. It also built a picture of a sustained campaign over decades by including audio recordings, written testimonials, and photographs of Richard’s injuries.

At one point, a defeated Richard revealed the most demoralising thing his wife did to him. He said, “I was sitting on the bedroom floor because Sheree wouldn’t let me sit on the bed. She got up to go to the toilet, and I was facing where the bathroom was; the next minute, I just realised that she had defecated on my head.”

In other clips, Sheree held a knife to her husband’s throat, spat at him, and hit him with a wine bottle so hard that he suffered permanent ear and elbow injuries. She also controlled his financial situation, forcing him to take out loans that put a strain on their family.

Sheree’s abuse was only discovered when she called one of Richard’s friends, falsely claiming he was drunk and she feared for her safety. When the friend arrived at the house, Richard finally broke down and admitted his wife had actually been abusing him for years. He showed his friend one of the nanny cam videos and the police were quickly involved.

Where is Sheree now?

Sheree is currently serving a four-year sentence in a prison near York. She pled guilty to coercive and controlling behaviour, as well as three counts of assault that caused actual bodily harm. These offences took place between 2016 and 2021, and she was officially jailed in March 2023.

Ironically, throughout her vicious campaign of abuse, she worked for the HM Prison and Probation Service. The judge who sentenced Sheree – the honourable Kate Rayfield – said, “This is the worst case of controlling and coercive behaviour I have seen.”

Richard told the press, “I have become resigned to the fact that I will never fully recover from her abuse and that it will have a permanent damaging impact on mine and my family’s life. Sheree’s abuse towards me evolved and escalated over time. She used repeated acts of physical assault, threats, verbal abuse, and humiliation to punish and exercise control over me.”

He continued, “The abuse was hidden from the outside world, including friends and family. Sheree manipulated me into believing that I was a responsible and willing participant in the abuse. She remorselessly proclaimed that I deserved to be punished and that it was a justifiable consequence of me disappointing her in some way.”

Ultimately, Richard hoped that telling his story through the documentary could do some good for male domestic abuse victims by raising awareness of the reality of their plight.