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Imagine being held at gunpoint by someone that you thought you could trust. Imagine not being allowed to leave your own home. The unfathomable happened when Rhianon Bragg was threatened and held hostage overnight by her ex-boyfriend.
After ending their relationship in 2019, he pursued a campaign of revenge on his ex-girlfriend. This article examines the events and the aftermath of this harrowing hostage situation.
The background
Rhianon Bragg started a relationship with her abuser after the death of her father and a divorce. A clergyman’s daughter and well-known member of her small community, Rhianon and her children moved to her family’s property in Rhosgadfan, Wales.
Within their five-year relationship, Rhianon reported that her ex-partner frequently verbally abused and physically assaulted her several times. The mum-of-four eventually decided to end the relationship – a decision that would put her life in danger.
Angry and rageful that Rhianon had ended the relationship, her ex-partner proceeded to stalk and threaten her. She also reported to authorities that he had menacingly approached her children. He was subsequently arrested for a brief time and his firearms were removed.
No further action was taken after the arrest, and his firearms were returned, to the shock and disbelief of his ex-girlfriend.
The ambush
The case turned sinister when Rhianon returned home late in the evening of 15th August 2019. She told authorities that her ex-partner 'leapt out from the shadows' and held a shotgun to her chest – an ambush for which she was not prepared.
'I screamed. It was a shock but not a surprise', Rhianon later reported.
Her attacker was wearing camouflage when he ambushed her to avoid being seen. The former mechanic had made threats to the victim and her four children in the lead-up to the incident, yet the attack came as a complete surprise.
Rhianon Bragg was held hostage at her own home by her former boyfriend for eight hours.
The 50-year-old later discussed the isolation she felt: 'Nobody can hear you scream here,' she said. 'We’re about a mile from the centre of the village.'
According to Rhianon, her ex-boyfriend continued to rant throughout the night telling her how hard his life was and continuing to ask her if she loved him. It wasn’t until the next morning that the victim would persuade him to let her leave the house, saying she needed to attend a doctor’s appointment.
He allowed her to go to the GP thinking their relationship was back on. During her visit, Rhianon told the doctor what was happening, and the police were called.
The arrest
In February 2020, her abuser was arrested and jailed for four-and-a-half years for the incident. After his release, he’ll be on a five-year licence for making threats, possession of a firearm and stalking. The mum was also granted a restraining order so he can’t come within 800 feet of her and her children following his release.
Rhianon scared for the safety of her and her children told reporters: 'That works in a city, with shops on every corner and plenty of people about but is meaningless in a small Welsh village where farmhouses are spread out,' she said. 'That distance lets him be in the centre of the village.'
The aftermath
Deeply affected by the events that unfolded with her ex-boyfriend, Rhianon Bragg advised that the hostage situation would have a life-long effect on her and her children. She fears the event could cause trauma later down the line.
'I went to a Bond film and spent the entire film, heart racing, bricking myself, staring at the carpet – all I could see was him, furious, screaming, a gun pointing at me. Your body stores the trauma. It doesn’t leave.'
Rhianon asked for his parole hearing to be public so she could gain a better understanding of the court’s decision to release her abuser. She has also maintained that if he had been charged when he was arrested three months before the harassment, the hostage ordeal might not have taken place.
