Terrified Mom Flees Home After Ex Threatens Her with Machete—and Walks Free

A terrified mum has been forced to abandon her home and go into hiding after her violent ex-boyfriend dodged jail—despite threatening to kill her with a machete. Cara Graham, 28, has been living in constant fear since her abusive former partner, Wojciech Okapiec, also 28, walked free from court. For years, she endured relentless physical and emotional torment at his hands, and now she’s left questioning how the justice system allowed him to walk free.

The brute from Livingston was found guilty of a horrifying series of domestic abuse charges at the High Court last month. He admitted to holding a knife to Cara’s throat, threatening to kill her in her sleep, tripping her up so she crashed to the floor, seizing her by the neck, and repeatedly assaulting her. During one terrifying outburst, he even used a machete to hack up her furniture and threatened to burn down her home.

But despite all this, Okapiec was let off with a five-year non-harassment order and 180 hours of unpaid work. Just days after his conviction, he brazenly turned up at their son’s school in East Calder—sending Cara into sheer panic. Now, too afraid to stay put, she has fled with her little boy to an undisclosed location hundreds of miles from her loved ones.

Speaking to the Daily Record, she said: “I am living in fear. He has avoided jail and, despite his non-harassment order, the first thing he did was go to my son’s school. I had no choice but to leave my home—I feel like the justice system has failed me.”

Cara has slammed the courts for what she sees as a failure to protect victims, claiming the system is “empowering abusers” by letting dangerous men like Okapiec escape prison. “The abuse he put me through was evil. It’s sickening that he can just carry on with his life like nothing happened, while I have to run for my safety.”

“The courts don’t seem to understand that when they hand out lenient sentences, they’re showing abusers they can do whatever they like and still go home at the end of the day. I was told he showed ‘remorse’ because he pleaded guilty—what a joke.”

Cara has shared harrowing photos of the bruises and injuries she suffered at Okapiec’s hands, along with a smashed mirror from one of his violent outbursts. She also revealed abusive texts where he called her a “fing bh” and threatened to slash her car tires.

Determined to warn other women, Cara’s story has spread across online forums that expose dangerous men. His photo has been shared on Red Rose, a UK database of domestic abusers, which describes him as “a convicted domestic abuser who spent over a decade subjecting his victim to relentless abuse yet managed to escape prison.”

His name has also surfaced in Are We Dating the Same Guy?, a Facebook group where women warn each other about men with a history of violence. Local MP Gregor Poynton has thrown his support behind Cara, saying more needs to be done to protect domestic abuse victims.

“I am deeply concerned about the distress Cara has endured. No one should have to live in fear. We must push for better protections and resources for victims of domestic violence, and I will raise this with the Scottish Government’s Justice Secretary.”

Meanwhile, a Judicial Office for Scotland spokesperson stated that judges “carefully consider all factors in sentencing, aiming to reduce reoffending and protect the public.” The Scottish Government also acknowledged the severity of domestic abuse but emphasized that sentencing decisions lie with the courts.

For Cara, though, the damage is already done. She’s lost her home, her security, and her peace of mind—while the man who terrorized her walks free.