A victim of coercive control who was subjected to physical and sexual abuse while pregnant and after having her baby has said she can now "breathe again" after seeing her abuser jailed.

Nicole, from Manchester, said she lived in permanent fear and felt like a "hostage" at the hands of 22-year-old Elliot Allen Bulman.

She said she was afraid for the life of her unborn child, adding: "All I kept thinking was the impact that it would have on the baby if he hit me in the back or stomach."

Bulman was jailed in September for 15 years after being convicted of rape, coercive and controlling behaviour, non-fatal strangulation, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and assault by penetration.

This article contains details of sexual, physical and emotional abuse. The BBC Action Line has details of a range of advice and support for anyone affected by the issues raised.

Nicole said: "I couldn't leave, because if he did decide to do anything, it was not me that was going to be paying the price, it was going to be my child.

"When my child was born, instead of being allowed to heal and bond with my baby, I was subjected to severe physical, psychological, and sexual violence.

"When my child was a few months old, I escaped.

"I wholeheartedly believe that if I had not fled on that day, the consequences of remaining would have been fatal."

Nicole said she wanted to share her story to show others in her position that "there is always a way out".

Nicole said Bulman appeared to be the perfect partner in the early stages of their relationship.

"It was so loving, so attentive. [He was] such a gentleman.

"I felt like this was my person.

"It feels right in the moment because they make you feel like it's right."

She said it was difficult to pinpoint the exact moment when Bulman's behaviour first turned abusive.

"Couples argue," she said. "So I didn't really think much of it when we'd start having a bit of a back and forth."

Nicole said Bulman would always apologise, and she found herself attempting to justify his behaviour, even when the abuse turned physical.

"The first time he hit me, I started to look at him a little bit differently," she said.

"Even though you know it isn't right, you try and justify it for this person, because you felt everything was so perfect."

Nicole said a pattern - of abuse followed by "crocodile tears" - began to form.

"He would say 'Think about how I was at the start, you know this isn't me'.

"It was a lot of manipulation."

Nicole said she soon found herself trapped in a "calculated campaign of isolation".

"He did not simply cut off every single person at once," she said.

"He carefully audited my social circle, identifying specific individuals with whom he deemed surface-level communication was acceptable.

"He permitted just enough contact with them to prevent alarm bells."

"I was a hostage," she said.

"I was locked in the flat. I didn't have my own key. I couldn't go out by myself. I wasn't allowed to have my own interactions with friends and family."

"I was a lot more vulnerable because I wasn't thinking about myself, I was thinking about the baby.

"The violence that I'd already experienced played a heavy role in it, but then he made me feel like if I did leave or challenge him, then my family were going to pay the price."

Despite holding onto hope that parenthood might have changed things, the threats "quickly centred on the baby" after the birth, with Bulman taking money from her bank account and telling her she could not support herself without him.

"He had got what he wanted - a family, a home together, a pet, a baby now," she said.

"I was hoping that he'd see this little dynamic and think better of it, but it didn't happen.

"A lot of it was worse after having the baby.

"He said, 'I'll make sure that you never see the baby again', 'I will take the baby and just go and you won't be able to find me'.

"He ignited a fear. It feel like a genuine possibility that I would lose my child.

"Looking back, that would never have happened, but it was a very real fear at that moment."

Nicole said she decided to tell her loved ones about the abuse, and with their support they began to form a plan to help her escape.

"I couldn't take it anymore," she said. "I didn't want my child to grow up and believe that this is how a normal family functions."

But before she was able to leave on her own terms, Nicole was attacked by Bulman in a public place, in front of her colleagues and strangers.

Video footage of the attack had been caught on a dash cam and had been circulating, so Nicole decided to go to the police.

She was able to leave Bulman when her child was three months old.

On 18 September, Bulman sentenced at Bolton Crown Court to 15 years with a further five on licence.

He must serve a minimum of two-thirds of his sentence before being considered for parole and will be subject to a restraining order to protect Nicole and her immediate family for a minimum of 20 years.

"Part of me felt bad at the fact that this is my child's dad. This is my ex-partner, this is somebody who I thought I would be with forever. "There was a point where we got engaged," Nicole said.

"But at the same time I was thankful. I was really happy with the conviction and the sentence because it justifies and it validates everything that happened."

She added: "The length of time that I was silent about it for was ridiculous.

"I want other people to see it and know there's always a way out, even if it's extremely difficult, even if it's risky, you've got kids, you're being financially controlled, you're being manipulated.

"Even if you might be afraid.

"I was petrified about doing it, but it makes you feel free.

"You can breathe again."