'My violent ex left me for dead — now I'm fighting to stop his release from prison'

A woman whose stalker ex-partner was jailed for 10 years after he attacked her with a meat cleaver and a knife is set to beg parole chiefs not to free him. Zoe Dronfield was battered black and blue in the attack, which left her with terrible injuries. She was rushed to hospital with a bleed on the brain, fractures to her cheekbones, nose, arms and hands, and slash wounds around her face and body. The brave mum-of-two campaigned for a 'Stalkers' Register' after Jason Smith was convicted in 2015. He was jailed for GBH with intent after using a meat cleaver and a knife in the eight-hour attack. In March, 2015, a judge sentenced him to 10 years behind bars and added another four years on licence. Smith was freed in 2024, but breached his licence conditions, resulting in his recall to prison. His application for parole last year was rejected. Zoe's victim liaison officer has asked her to ask her to prepare a statement for another hearing. She has been warned that Smith has until November 3 to make his latest parole application. IT worker Zoe, 50, of Coventry, West Midlands, said: "He did his 10 year sentence and I fought tooth and nail to keep him behind bars. They put him in an open prison halfway through his sentence. "Two police officers came to tell me about his first parole bid and I wrote to Robert Buckland the justice minister at the time. We got a judicial review. "His other victims were taken into consideration, and he was moved back from open prison. But he was released in 2024 after serving the full 10 years. He was in the community, wearing a tag. "He started another relationship and was recalled to prison because he breached the licence conditions related to what he did to me. He has another couple of years on licence, but he remains a danger." After her case, Zoe was contacted by 18 other women who came forward to say they had also been victims. The mum has since campaigned with women’s charities for greater support and advice for victims of domestic abuse. She campaigned to have perpetrators put on VISOR, the violent and sex offenders register. The government agreed to update the system, but Zoe still wants serial perpetrators of domestic abuse and stalking proactively tracked and monitored; her campaign petition has 296,736 signatures. To sign it, click this link. She added: "Jason has never admitted any remorse and it is now more than 10 years later. Despite all the photos of my injuries, he is still deluded, thinking he did nothing wrong." Zoe's application for the Parole Board hearing to be held in public was rejected back in 2023. The Board stated: "On 31 March 2015, Mr Smith was sentenced to ten years plus four years on licence for the offence of Grievous Bodily Harm to his then partner. "The offence included the use of a knife, following the consumption of drugs and alcohol. A week before the offence, he had admitted to causing criminal damage to the property. Mr Smith’s parole eligibility date was 4 January 2021, his conditional release date is 5 May 2024 and his sentence end date is 5 August 2028." They ruled that holding any hearing in public might "impact their ability to assess risk". The Parole Board confirmed that his bid for release was refused last year. They said then: "We can confirm that a panel of the Parole Board has refused the release of Jason Smith following a paper review. "Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community. "The panel carefully examined a huge range of evidence, including details of the original crime, and any evidence of behaviour change, as well as exploring the harm done and impact the crime has had on the victims. Parole reviews are always undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority.’’ A spokesperson added that Smith had not yet been referred for another review. To sign Zoe's petition, use this link.