Domestic abuse survivor encourages other victims and survivors to report their experiences via Live Chat

We’ve reunited a survivor of rape and domestic abuse with the two women who helped her through her initial report; call handler Emma, and responding and investigating officer based at Rochdale CID, Detective Sergeant Ruth Thompson.

From left to right - Call handler Emma - Hannah Mellor - DS Ruth Thompson

Hannah Mellor, who chose to speak out against her abuser in February came forward to us in June 2023 after being subjected to physical, emotional, and sexual abuse over a two-year period. You can read about her story here.

Her breaking point came when her ex-partner, Ben Fitton, who was recently jailed for 18 years, threatened to harm her son at his school. In a moment of immense bravery, Hannah made the decision to contact us via our 24-hour Live Chat service and share a glimpse into the horrific abuse she had been suffering. She says that coming forward via Live Chat ‘saved her life’.

Live Chat is accessible via our website and is mainly for reporting non-emergency incidents, like you would via 101. It provides victims and witnesses with another way to contact us, particularly for those who don’t feel comfortable or in a position to speak over the phone. Often, people prefer typing their experience, and Live Chat provides instant responses back and forth with a real person, trained to help, at the other end of the line. Between August 2024 and February 2025, over 85,000 Live Chats took place.

On the other end of Hannah’s Live Chat conversation was Emma, who has worked in our contact centre since 2022.

Emma said: “Unfortunately in our role, we hear stories like Hannah’s every day. The experiences these women and men have had to endure are some of the most difficult to hear and chat about, and I know for many of them, the contact with us could come after many weeks, months, or years of suffering.

“Whenever I am dealing with a report of domestic abuse, my main concern is that individual’s welfare and getting them the help they need. Whether that report has come over the phone or Live Chat, my response will always be the same; these people need my help.

“Reading some of what Hannah had been through, I was determined to do everything within my power to get her the support she needed.

“As a call handler, we never get to meet those we have spoken to, so meeting Hannah has really been a privilege. To see how her journey started, and to have been a small part of it, shows that what we do can make a difference and how important it is to get that first contact right.”

After Hannah and Emma’s contact ended, DS Ruth Thompson attended Hannah’s address to obtain a full account and start our investigation. She remained on the case throughout, keeping Hannah up to date on progress and ensuring she felt heard and supported as she told us more and more about what she’d been through as time went on.

Ruth said: “The moment someone makes that call or Live Chat contact might be the one and only time they feel brave enough to come forward. We must get it right from the outset, otherwise we might miss our opportunity to help that individual out of the situation they’re in. These first stages are often when a victim or survivor decides if they are willing to support prosecution, which we understand is an extremely difficult decision to make. 

“When Hannah got in touch, she didn’t know what she needed or what she wanted to do. It was my role as an investigator and the responding officer to ensure Hannah felt safe and comfortable with me, knew she was being heard and felt assured that no matter how she wanted to move forward, she was going to be supported.

“Whether someone makes a call or speaks to us via Live Chat, we will take that report seriously and use that initial contact to ensure the person reporting gets a tailored response that is right for them.”

After her experience, Hannah is encouraging more victims and survivors to reach out using the Live Chat service. You will be listened to, believed and action will follow.

Report

GMP Live Chat can be found in the bottom corner of our website: Home | Greater Manchester Police.

We encourage anyone in an emergency or ongoing situation to still call 999. If you need urgent help but are not able to speak, tap 55 and you may be directed to answer questions by pressing buttons or tapping instead to ensure we can still help. Since August 2024, our average attendance to emergency and ongoing domestic abuse incidents has been eight minutes and 14 seconds.

However, Live Chat might still be the best option for you in emergency situations. If we can know the address of the incident and the basics on what is happening, we could have officers on the way to you immediately.

Support

Whether you choose to report to police, or not, please know that support is out there. You can contact the below local support organisations who will help you.

Greater Manchester domestic abuse helpline 

Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm, except bank holidays. For anyone experiencing domestic abuse. Includes a language service and advice for the LGBT community.

End the Fear 

Includes information on local help all over Greater Manchester.