When Lisa* called the police to report a serious assault by her partner, she expected protection and support. Instead, she says what followed was a series of failures, including police repeatedly telling her the man was still in custody when he had been bailed. Her experience left her terrified and questioning whether victims’ rights are anything more than words on paper. Senior journalist Anna Leask reports.  In September, Lisa’s then-partner Mike allegedly assaulted her, strangling her so viciously that he left angry red marks on her skin.  She called 111, desperate for help. But she says help is the last thing she got.  “Right now, I wouldn’t ever call them again because they have made my life worse, not better,” she told the Herald.  “As part of my job, I advise women to call the police for family harm, but now I won’t.  “I can see why women don’t call the police, and that is not okay – it is not safe.”   Lisa said she had visible physical injuries and was mentally distressed.  However, the police left her home in Canterbury without having her examined by any medical professional.  She claims they did not follow up or provide her with any information about what would happen to Mike, nor did they provide her with any safety plan or connect her to any support agency.  “They just took him away, and that was it.  “I was hoping for some support … but they just left me here. They didn’t even call an ambulance. They did offer me a referral to the Cambridge Clinic, which I refused at the time. To be honest, I was just in complete fight or flight."  The clinic specialises in sexual harm, and Lisa’s assault was not of that nature.  The next day, she emailed police and said she would take a referral - for lack of any other support.  She said that, by the time the officer got back to her, she had contacted the clinic directly and had already been to an appointment.  “When I called the police, I expected that wraparound service that I’ve told thousands of women they can expect – and ongoing communication,“ she said.  “The lack of communication has been the most traumatic thing for me. I have had to beg and beg for information.”    Lisa said police left her with no support or medical help after the alleged assault. Photo / DepositPhotos  At 8.30am the next day, Lisa’s sister arrived, and they called the police for an update.  Lisa said she was told an officer in charge (OC) had been assigned and that no further information could be provided.  She was told to wait for the OC to make contact.  Soon afterwards, Mike’s brother sent her a message saying Mike had appeared in court and been released on bail.  Lisa assumed police would let her know – but no call came.  In the afternoon, two police officers arrived at Lisa’s house to film her video statement. It was only then that she found out Mike had been charged with strangling her, threatening to kill or do grievous bodily harm and threatening behaviour.  She said she explained to them that she was not in a good place and asked them to come back another time. She explained that she had not slept since the assault, that she was significantly distressed, so had taken a sedative to help her anxiety, which meant she was “not mentally capable of providing a reliable or admissible interview”.  She said police “pressured” her for “many minutes” to speak to them.  “It was absurd. As if I wasn’t traumatised enough, they kept going on and on and I just disengaged.  “It was clear they just had no idea what had happened to me … just hours ago, I had been strangled by the love of my life.  “It felt like I was just a number, just a name in their game of cops and robbers. It has felt that way all along, like they don’t actually care that I experienced a significant trauma.”    Mike was arrested and charged after the incident in September. Photo...