Trying to control a speeding car with the brakes cut while being chased by a screwdriver-wielding jealous ex sounds like a scene from a horror movie. But this situation became terrifyingly real for Gavin Downie (36), of Auckland, when his new girlfriend’s ex began making trouble for them both just weeks after they got together.

Gavin had just started seeing Anna Godfrey (29) when he started receiving threatening phone calls from Trevor Duff (29). Anna, who has a five-year-old son with Trevor, had broken up with him four years earlier but believes Trevor became jealous at the thought of her forming another relationship. The solo mum never realised just how far her ex would go to interfere with her newfound happiness until the frightening ordeal.

The nightmare began when Trevor overheard Anna speaking on her mobile to Gavin outside her house. Trevor grabbed the phone off her and physically attacked her but she managed to talk him into leaving. Then Gavin became the target of Trevor’s jealousy and he knew Trevor was serious.

“I instinctively knew he was going to do something. Everyone told me not to worry but I had a nagging feeling that the abusive texts and threats would come to a head. “At first, I got a message on Facebook from a false profile that was made to look like someone from the Mongrel Mob was demanding that I stop seeing Anna.

“Trevor managed to get my mobile number and I started getting messages such as, ‘I like your new car.’ I was freaking out because it was my mother’s car and he’d obviously been to my house to see it. “Then he started mentioning others, like my brother and his family. I was worried it wasn’t just about me anymore,” says Gavin, shaking his head.

Then Gavin received a verbal threat. “That’s it,” Trevor warned. “I’ve given you chances. You and your family, that’s it. It’s over – I’m coming to get you.” When Gavin played the message to the police they asked Trevor to apologise – which he did – and a few days later, the new couple felt they could finally relax.

“We opened a bottle of champagne but, while we were celebrating, Trevor came on to the property without us knowing. He cut through three of the four brake lines on Gavin’s car and through half of the fourth one,” Anna explains.

The following day, Gavin left early to catch a flight. He jumped into his car and it wasn’t until he turned down a steep hill that he realised he was in serious danger. “I went to slow down but when I touched the brakes, my foot just went straight to the floor. I immediately knew that my brakes had been cut. I pumped my foot and got nothing,” he recalls.

“I looked behind me and didn’t see anyone so I used my handbrake to pull over. I got out and opened the bonnet, but then Trevor’s car screeched up behind me. I jumped back into my car and got the door closed as he smashed my window with a screwdriver.

“I started my car and decided to drive with no brakes – otherwise he would have kept attacking me. As I hit the T-junction at the bottom of the hill, I pulled the handbrake on and my car swung around the corner, but I pulled it so hard that it came away in my hand. Then I could only use my gears to slow down.

“I decided to try to make it to the police station at Mairangi Bay. I ran a red light to get on to the motorway, my car skidding sideways. I was going extremely fast because he was coming up behind me and ramming my car. I was in survival mode. I knew he wasn’t going to give in. I overtook everyone on the motorway.”

Meanwhile, Anna received a message on her mobile from Trevor saying, “I’m sorry it’s come to this. I’m going to be going away for a very long time…” She had no idea that Trevor was on the tail of her new boyfriend, who was desperately driving to save himself.

As Gavin raced towards safety, he ran a red light at the motorway off-ramp, hit a traffic island and blew out his front tyre. The car’s screeching alerted the police and, as the station came into Gavin’s view, he realised the only way he could stop the car was to crash into something. In a split second, he ruled out hitting the police cars outside and decided to smash into a concrete post outside the station.

“It was by the grace of God that I hadn’t hit someone or smashed into an innocent family,” he says. Gavin ran through the front doors in a frantic race with Trevor, who had already run upstairs into another entrance to tell his side of the story.

Gavin gave police his statement and Trevor was arrested. Bombs and unlicensed guns were later found at his house. In court, Trevor pleaded guilty to a list of offences including endangering transport, reckless driving and assault.

He was sentenced to three years and four months in prison in October. He willingly offered to attend drug rehabilitation after his release, which is something Anna is thankful for.

“I met Trevor through mutual friends and I was with him for four years. At the beginning, I didn’t notice his jealousy, but later I wasn’t even allowed to speak to my parents at some stages. He thought he owned me. “I stayed friends with him because of our son and I always hoped that he would change. Now I’m hoping that drug rehabilitation will work.”

Gavin and Anna, who met through Facebook, have now been together for more than a year and Anna smiles as she calls him her “hero”.

“Women involved with controlling men must learn to speak out. Stay true to your own beliefs and values,” advises Anna. “Sometimes it can get messy, but it is better to be out of that situation and to have a fresh start."

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