Daughter's violent foster father shot her FIVE TIMES in the stomach after he followed her to the UK and tried to kidnap her back to Greece

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Jennifer Brooklyn (pictured) was left for dead when her foster father tried to kidnap her and shot her five times in the stomach 

A daughter was shot in the stomach five times by her controlling foster father who followed her to the UK and tried to drag her back to Greece when he found out she had a boyfriend.

Jennifer Brooklyn was left for dead when gun-wielding Drosos Saroukos stormed into a pub and repeatedly fired bullets into her body in anger over her new independent life.

The controlling foster father then left her lying in a pool of blood, fleeing from the scene as customers gave her CPR.

When he was arrested by police, officers found Saroukos's car filled with knives, tape, cord and handcuffs, in a sinister indication of what he had planned for Ms Brooklyn.

He was later jailed for attempted murder and attempted kidnap after Ms Brooklyn faced him in court and revealed the years of abuse she had suffered at his hands.

Ms Brooklyn has now spoken out about her ordeal after finding happiness for the first time since the horrific events.

The now 33-year-old has retrained as a nurse - inspired by those who saved her life - and, last year, married her supportive boyfriend, whom she met through her training.

Describing how close she was to death, Ms Brooklyn said: ‘I could see blood and I thought I was taking my last breaths.

‘But I survived his bullets for a reason. I will never really get over what he did to me, but I can say that I am happy now and that is something I thought I might never feel again. 

‘I refuse to let Saroukos ruin my life anymore. I am a free woman and I want to let people know he didn’t beat me.' 

Ms Brooklyn was 12 when family friend Saroukos took her in after she was given up by her mother.

At the time, he was married with a young son and was well respected on the Greek island where the family lived.

But behind closed doors, Saroukos was violent and controlling.

Ms Brooklyn said: ‘The family lived on egg shells. He ordered me to have no friends, no boyfriends, and no make up and if I protested I was beaten.

‘I considered running away but had no where to go and he threatened to kill me if I tried.’

Greek Drosos Saroukos (left) launched the attack because he was furious that Ms Brooklyn had a new independent life in the UK. She has been left with scars from the attack (right)

The island had no support for victims of domestic violence so Ms Brooklyn knew her only way to escape him was through her education.

She continued to suffer at his hands but, after studying hard, won a place at university in England to escape him.

She said: ‘I knew it would be the only way to get away from him and I was so happy to be leaving. I felt free at last.’

But after living in England for a few months, she heard a knock on her door. When she opened it, she found Saroukos.

The violent thug had found out she had a boyfriend and beat her to a pulp. It later emerged he had been following her for days.

She said: ‘I was so shocked to see him. I knew then I would never be free of him and had been foolish to think it I could escape him that easily.’

Ms Brooklyn was just 12 when family friend Saroukos took her in after she was given up by her mother. She is pictured during her time with her foster father in Greece

One month later, Saroukos turned up at her home again, demanding she return home to her family for Easter. Terrified of the consequences, she agreed. But as soon as she saw him at the airport, she knew it was a mistake.

Once on the boat to the island he threatened her with a gun, shooting it into the water and telling her: ‘Next time it will be you if you disobey me again.’

Over the next few days, Saroukos told Ms Brooklyn he planned to sell his tourist boat to move to England with her.

She said: ‘I was so frightened. I really thought I would die. I told myself if I escaped alive I would never ever return home again.

‘I realised that unless I did something I would spend my life being controlled by this lunatic.’

Back at university in the UK she rang the Samaritans and told them everything.

Ms Brooklyn found love on her nursing course and in married her supportive boyfriend Imran (pictured together) in November 2015

Ms Brooklyn was then moved to a refuge and given help to change her name from Maria. Legal letters were sent to her foster parents telling them not to contact her again.

But, a few weeks later, she sensed she was being watched. One day when she was walking home, she saw Saroukos hiding in the bushes.

Ms Brooklyn then ran to the safety of the refuge and called police. He repeatedly banged on the windows demanding to be let it, but was ushered away by police.

She later learned that her foster father had found her by showing local taxi companies her photo and claiming she was missing.

She said: ‘They thought they had been helping a concerned dad but they had led my abuser straight to me.’

She feared he would never let her go but, after moving to a different refuge, she finally felt safe enough to get a place with friends.

But one afternoon she was working behind the bar at the Iron Duke pub in High Wymcombe when he walked in.

He demanded Ms Brooklyn leave with him and began dragging her by her hair. When she spotted the gun in his jacket she feared he was going to kill her.

So Ms Brooklyn smashed him over the head with a beer bottle and tried to run.

But Saroukos then shot her five times at point blank. Three bullets lodged in her stomach, one in her hand, the other in her chest.

Ms Brooklyn was rushed to hospital and underwent emergency surgery to save her life. She had a collapsed lung and a bullet lodged in her bowel.

When she woke she couldn’t believe she was alive.

She said: ‘I was told a football team had been in the pub and their medic performed CPR which had kept me alive. Police said he had handed himself in and been arrested.’

The couple hope her injuries – part her fallopian tube was blasted away - won’t stop them having a family

Ms Brooklyn spent one month in hospital recovering. She later learned her father had tracked her down using her exam results which had been sent to his address in error but contained her new address.

Despite handing himself in he pleaded not guilty meaning she had to give evidence.

Ms Brooklyn was offered a screen but decided to face her father in court.

Reading Crown Court heard how after his arrest police had found knives, a cord, masking tape and handcuffs in the boot of his car. 

He claimed he had simply come to find her because she had stolen from him- but the jury saw through it.

In March 2003, her foster father was found guilty of attempted murder, attempted kidnap and possession of a firearm and sentenced to 10 years and eight years.

He served half of his sentence in the UK and was then deported to Greece but Ms Brooklyn still suffered flashbacks and PTSD.

She said: ‘I felt like my life was over. I was finally free of him but the emotional scars were hard to heal.’

The following years she struggled to move forward, crippled by depression and anxiety.

But eventually Ms Brooklyn decided to retrain as a nurse, inspired by the medics who had save her after she was shot.

She said: ‘I had to believe that I had survived for a reason and that was to help people like the medics that had helped me.’ She qualified in 2014.

She also found love on the nursing course and in November 2015 married her supportive boyfriend Imran.

Now she loves her job as a registered nurse and the couple hope her injuries – part her fallopian tube was blasted away - won’t stop them having a family.

Last year she launched a platform to give help and advice to other victims of domestic violence and is also writing a book about her ordeal and how she got her life back.

She said: ‘Domestic violence is a terrifying crime and it’s not just wives that are affected.

‘I owe my life to the medical staff that saved me and am proud to have trained as nurse to give something back.