THURSDAY November 20, 2014 • www.langleytimes.com NEWS West Coast Megacity Unlikely
11
BUSINESS Following Her Passion
30
31
SPORTS Men With Brooms s
in
Fenced
Robin Brown was held captive in a Langley home by an abusive boyfriend, a who threatened her w and forced her to a hide under a blanket h iinside his vehicle at night while he was n at work. a Brown has spoken B out about her ordeal o tto help other women avoid making the a ssame decisions she made. m EVAN SEAL E Black Press B
ROBIN BROWN ENDURED BEATINGS AND CONFINEMENT IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH A NEW BOYFRIEND THAT WENT WRONG IN A HEARTBEAT KEVIN DIAKIW Black Press
Both eyes badly blackened and lacerated from his punches, she lay crouched in the car in the fenced-in parking lot on Annacis Island. As darkness fell, the temperature in the car dropped, and her body and mind became numb. The only sound she could hear was the incessant thrum of nearby refrigerator trucks. She once again wondered how she was going to escape, or whether she would even live to try. More than once, suicide seemed like the only solution.
says Robin Brown, now 48, who often felt death would be better than what she was going through. ••• Brown, a weightlifter and amateur boxer, had met Matthew Recknagel in 2011 at the gym where she worked out. Nineteen years younger than Brown, he was good looking, charming, smart and made her laugh. He was a body builder and mixed martial artist and Brown began training with him. In September 2013, they went out for coffee on a date and started seeing each other. However, Brown soon sensed something i
Sunday, Dec. 7th Deluxe Buffet Breakfast with Santa 9am to noon
604-530-1400 20645 LANGLEY BYPASS WWW.THEGE.CA
“I could tell he was starting to be controlling already,” she says softly. At the start, Recknagel insisted she text him all day, and accused her of lying — particularly about any dealings she had with other men, including her clients. On Oct. 17, 2013 she told him she was going on a business trip with her boss at the vitamin company where she worked. He forbade it, but she insisted. He punched her in her left eye, blackening it badly. Days later she sent Recknagel a text message: “We’re done.” He initially agreed, but he came to her house, let himself in with a key she had i hi d ld h h ld b k
up with him. He then punched her in her right eye, splitting her head open at the temple. While there, he took her cellphone, her computer, her purse, and wrote an email to her boss saying she quit. He then deleted her email and Facebook accounts. Brown now felt completely isolated, paralyzed with fear, and thought refusing his demands could be fatal. On Oct. 24, 2013, while Recknagel and Brown were driving to dinner, he began beating her about the back and shoulders. She rolled down the window, called for help, and tried to jump out of the moving vehicle.
DID YOU KNOW... POCO HAS BEEN IN LANGLEY 5 YEARS!! BOOK NOW!
The best value around! Family Fun, Buffet n’ Play, Great Food, prizes and a visit with SANTA!
reservation and full prepayment required
We celebrate EAST coast time!
Wed, December 31st 5pm-9:30pm FAMILY NEW YEARS EVE PARTY
Great Family Fun, Buffet n’ Play, Great Food, favours, prizes and of course the countdown and balloon drop! $17.95 for kids 4 & older and adults ($9.95 for 2 & 3 year olds olds) All the Details at www.thege.ca Taxes extra. Not combinable with any special offer or coupons.
For a different kind of Christmas gift...
Now is the time to order.... POCO MILITARY OUTDOOR SUPPLIES 19653 Willowbrook Dr., Langley • 778-278-2205
POCOMILITARY.COM