Meet Jeni Haynes. She Created 2,600 Different Personalities to Survive Years of Abuse

Warning: Contains descriptions of violence and child abuse

You may remember the name Jeni Haynes. In 2019 she made headlines for testifying against her abuser, her father. Jeni was the only person to testify against her dad; however, she took the stand six different times, as six different personalities, all of whom were abused by Richard Haynes.

The six personalities are just a small fraction of the 2,600+ personalities Jeni created to survive the abuse she had endured. Jeni took the stand to present evidence against her father as a four-year-old named Symphony, a teenager named Muscles, and a young woman named Linda among others.

‘I didn’t know that you’re only supposed to have one personality’ 

“She suffered every minute of Dad’s abuse and when he abused me, his daughter Jeni, he was actually abusing Symphony,” Jeni told the BBC.

Personalities act to protect Jeni

As the years went on, Jeni (as Symphony) created other personalities to endure the abuse. Each personality that Jeni/Symphony created had a role to contain an element of the abuse. Several of her personalities were also critical in the testimony that eventually led to her father’s sentencing.

Muscles was a teenager, similar to Billy Idol, who was tall, calm and strong. He was one of the personalities who had physical evidence of the abuse.

Linda was tall and slender with a 1950s pink poodle skirt. Linda testified about the impact of this on Jeni’s schooling and relationships.

Volcano was another strong alter, dressed in black leather with bleached blond hair.

Ricky was an eight-year-old boy who wore an old grey suit with short bright red hair.

Judas looked like he was about to speak and wore school trousers and a bright green jumper.

Rick wore huge glasses, similar to those of Jeni’s father.

Every one of these alters played a critical role in helping Jeni cope with the daily abuse, something that continued until she was 11 years old.

During that time, Jeni learned how to keep herself small and silent. Her father restricted her social activities at school to minimise other adult contact and Jeni was denied medical care for her injuries from beatings and sexual abuse. 

Calculated and planned

Jeni returned to the UK at the age of 11. Her parents divorced shortly after. Jeni reported the abuse in 2009, and ten years later, her testimonies cultivated in Richard Hayne’s conviction and jailing. Only a judge was present during the 2019 trial as the lawyers agreed the case was too traumatic for a jury. 

Richard Haynes will remain behind bars for the rest of his life. He is considered one of the worst child abusers in Australia.

“My dad’s abuse was calculated and it was planned. It was deliberate and he enjoyed every minute of it,” Jeni told the court in a victim impact statement in 2019.

“He heard me beg him to stop, he heard me cry, he saw the pain and terror he was inflicting upon me, he saw the blood and the physical damage he caused. And the next day he chose to do it all again.”

Richard also brainwashed his daughter into thinking he could read her mind, she said. He threatened to kill her mother, brother and sister if she even thought about the abuse, let alone told them.

“My inner life was invaded by Dad. I couldn’t even feel safe in my own head,” Jeni said. “I could no longer examine what was happening to me and draw my own conclusions.”

While dissociated identity disorder may have helped Jeni survive, it’s also been very challenging to have thousands of voices in her head and many counsellors refused to help Jeni due to her story being unbelievable.