A TikTok true crime mom video poster has revealed how she helped jail an abusive boyfriend she met during lockdown who strangled her and kicked her puppy.
Bekah Smith, 34, started her online channel last May, telling real-life crime stories to her 54,000 followers. She says making the videos helped her realize how she was abused by partner Karl Draper.
She became increasingly concerned after discovering similarities between her situation and the stories of domestic violence she shared on TikTok, and realized the extent of her treatment at the hands of MMA fighter Draper, 23.
Ms Smith says the coercive control began shortly after he moved into her home in Kirkby, Liverpool, in December 2020.
He began stopping her from going out, monitoring her social media and even kicked her puppy until he “screamed in pain” in April 2021, she says.
Karl Draper (left) has been convicted of domestically abusing ex-partner Bekah Smith, right
TikTok true crime poster Bekah Smith shared photos of her injuries with police
Draper, 23, admitted five charges of ABH and one of coercive control at Liverpool Crown Court
The relationship became physically abusive after she became pregnant in February 2022 when Draper strangled her until she thought she was going to miscarry.
He later attacked her shortly after she gave birth in April 2022, causing her C-section scar to burst open.
Posting online eventually gave her the courage to go to the police, and she saved videos and recordings of the abuse to show them.
Draper, from Liverpool, pleaded guilty to five charges of ABH and one charge of coercive control at Liverpool Crown Court in February this year.
He was given a two-year prison sentence last month and a five-year restraining order banning him from contacting her.
Content creator Ms Smith said: “I think my TikTok account saved my life. I’ve always avoided telling stories about domestic violence – I think deep down I knew it was because I was in it.
‘But making the videos really gave me the confidence to look at my own relationship.’
She met Draper through mutual friends online during the Covid-19 pandemic in early December 2020.
The pair exchanged numbers and started texting before meeting up a few weeks later.
Mrs Smith thought he was a ‘nice guy’ and the relationship progressed quickly when Draper moved into her flat – but she says the ‘coercive and controlling’ behavior started shortly after they moved in together.
Bekah Smith, pictured with her baby, has spoken out about the abuse she suffered
Bekah Smith, pictured with MMA fighter Karl Draper, realized the domestic violence she suffered when she posted TikTok videos about other true crime stories
She said: ‘He was terrible from the moment he moved here – there were so many warning signs. He isolated me from everyone and stopped me from going out.
“He monitored my social media and wouldn’t let me post anything. My friends and family didn’t know how bad it was, I didn’t know either.’
In April 2021, things turned violent when, shortly after kicking the dog, he grabbed Ms Smith by the throat and punched a hole in the wall.
She discovered she was pregnant in September that year, but Draper accused her of cheating and strangled her again by throwing her on the bed.
The following February, she tried to end their relationship and Draper lashed out and strangled her until she “couldn’t breathe” and “thought she was ‘going to die’.”
She said: ‘I was constantly tense, but I felt emotionally blackmailed into staying with him.
‘I’ve lost a baby before and I was terrified I would have a miscarriage if he attacked me.
‘I would often make excuses to go to the hospital for checks so I could get away from him and make sure the baby was okay.’
Their baby arrived prematurely via caesarean section on March 21, 2022 and spent several days in the neonatal unit.
Bekah Smith suffered injuries from Karl Draper, who she met during lockdown
She presented officers with a bank of evidence, including photographs and video recordings of his threats
Mrs Smith hoped they could focus on the child, but Draper lashed out at her five days after giving birth – and later that month he sent her a voice message threatening her ‘would end up in the morgue’.
She said: ‘He pushed me so hard I fell and opened my C-section scar. I was in so much pain.
‘I had to go back for antibiotic ointment and have the wound redressed – it left a big scar. I didn’t have the courage to tell the midwife that it was his fault.’
She has said she always had an ‘interest in crime’ and decided to create her TikTok account, with the name on it @itzbekahsmithnewlast May.
She began filming and posting video content telling British crime stories such as the disappearance of Madeleine McCann and murderous nurse Lucy Letby.
Mrs Smith said: ‘He didn’t like me making the videos. He saw that I was gaining followers and becoming more confident.
“I realized I was just like the women I share stories about; it really clicked for me.’
She found the courage to leave Draper last September, but described how he climbed into her home through a window and threatened to hurt himself.
She called the police and was quickly arrested with the photos she took of her injuries.
She described how Draper also kicked her dog, which was ‘howling in pain’
Draper was sentenced to two years in prison at Liverpool Crown Court last month
He was given a five-year restraining order banning him from contacting victim Bekah Smith
These photos, along with voice recordings, were used as evidence in the case against him.
She said: ‘The conviction was disappointing. But I feel happy.
‘He took my whole life away and I hope to finally have some closure.
‘I’m doing more TikToks. I do this so that no other woman will have to go through what I had to go through.”
