Abusive cage fighter exposed by mother after she shared the crime TikToks

A mother realized her relationship with a cage fighter was abusive after noticing similarities between the videos she shared on TikTok.

Bekah Smith has been telling crime stories for her 38.3k followers since she started the channel in May last year. The 34-year-old was in a relationship with MMA fighter Karl Draper when she started drawing poignant parallels between her situation and the videos she made.

As reported in the Mirror, Bekah 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 in December 2020 through mutual friends. At first things were “great”, but within months he became violent. It would take years before she felt able to speak out.

Bekah 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.”

During a trial at Liverpool Crown Court I heard how Draper, 23, had been in a relationship with Bekah for three years until their relationship ended in September last year. Bekah told police she had been abused by him throughout their time together.

Cheryl Mottram, prosecuting, described how she had previously “apologized for his behaviour” and “stayed with him because she loved him” but “kept photographs and recordings” showing his numerous attacks. The first incident occurred on April 15, 2021, when Draper kicked the puppy they had purchased a few days earlier in the side, causing the dog to “whine in pain.”

He then grabbed Mrs Smith by the throat before punching a hole in the bedroom door. However, she “put it down to him having smoked cannabis”, and the relationship continued. Draper strangled Bekah repeatedly during the altercation. He even did this twice after she became pregnant with his child, leaving her “terrified that she was going to lose the baby” as she struggled for breath.

Posting online eventually gave Bekah the courage to go to the police and she saved videos and recordings of the assaults to show them.

Bekah 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 miscarry if he attacked me. I would often make excuses to go to the hospital for check-ups just so I could get away from him and make sure the baby was okay.”

Bekah and Draper’s baby was born prematurely via C-section on March 21, 2022, and spent a few days in the neonatal unit. She hoped they could focus on the child, but Draper lashed out at her five days after giving birth. Later that month, he sent her a voice message threatening that she 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 large scar. I didn’t have the courage to tell the midwife that it was his fault.”

Bekah had always had an ‘interest in crime’ and decided to create her TikTok account in May 2023. She started filming and posting video content telling British crime stories.

Bekah said: “He didn’t like me making the videos. He saw that I was gaining followers and becoming more confident. I realized that I was just like the women I share stories about. It really clicked for me.”

Bekah found the courage to leave Draper in September 2023, but he climbed through her window and threatened to hurt himself. She called the police and he was quickly arrested. The photos she took of her injuries, along with the voice recordings, were used as evidence in the case against him.

He pleaded guilty to five charges of ABH and one charge of coercive control at Liverpool Crown Court in February this year. He was jailed for two years and in March was given a restraining order banning him from contacting Bekah for five years.

Bekah still posts on her TikTok page called @itzbekahsmithnew. She said: “I’m doing more TikToks, I even have something in the mix with BBC Three with my channel. I’m doing this so that no other woman will have to go through what I’ve had to go through.”

Help and support with domestic violence

NHS advice says that if you are at risk of domestic abuse or violence, you can do the following: