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A woman subjected to horrific abuse at the hands of her husband has come forward after several years, with a plea for some peace before she believes she will inevitably be killed. The woman, who cannot be named, said in a victim impact statement she had come to terms with her eventual murder, and: “I live with the decision that I made in leaving, knowing that one decision will ultimately end my life.” Her estranged husband, 44, has admitted to 30 charges related to his malicious abusing of her, and faces more jail time having already spent more than one year and seven months in prison on remand. But the woman said her estranged husband had vowed that, if he were to ever land in jail, he’d “play the game”, say the right things, serve his time, and come after her when she least expected it. “[Promises] were made to me over and over again … [that] when I’m happy … the last thing I would see would be his face as I’m tortured and my life ended,” the woman said in her victim impact statement. “Cutting me down in the street, or taking me out [into] the bush to torture me, string me up to a tree and skin me alive, or slaughter me in my bed, or take my life in a graphic way that would put us in the news.” A lengthy statement of facts tendered in the ACT Magistrates Court details some of the abuse the 44-year-old man subjected his wife to over several years. He has beaten her while she was down, strangled her unconscious with a dressing gown tie, slammed her bloody head into a bathroom wall, and sliced her forehead with a 40-centimetre hunting knife while he made her watch an explicit video. He has forced her to sleep in a garage “like a dog”, saying she “wasn’t even worth being pissed on”, and forced her to shave her head. He grabbed her hands and made her do it faster. On Tuesday, a police officer gave evidence the man was a senior forensic mental health nurse who had worked for ACT Health and with prisoners before his arrest. The 44-year-old sent sexually explicit images of the woman to her workmates and friends. At one point, he got into her home and police found him hiding behind a car in the garage when they came to arrest him. In the woman’s victim impact statement, she said: “Every day I felt like I was walking on eggshells, never knowing what would be thrown at me, fists or words, or expectations. “I survived by getting through each day one day at a time, trying to shelter the children pretending that everything was normal, that I was [OK]. “I was worn down to the point that I did not have energy to believe in myself anymore, no energy to stand up, or get the courage to do what I knew was the right thing, which was to leave. “I was petrified of the repercussions of any actions that I could have taken, and I … still am to this day, but I knew that if I did not leave when I did then I would end up with my life completely in pieces or even dead.” The woman said she only asked that she be able to raise her children through to adulthood “to allow them to grow into individuals to have some peace” before their lives were destroyed again when her’s ended. Chief Magistrate Lorraine Walker will sentence the 44-year-old man at a later date. Support is available for those who may be distressed by phoning Lifeline 13 11 14; Mensline 1300 789 978; Kids Helpline 1800 551 800; beyondblue 1300 224 636; 1800-RESPECT 1800 737 732; and, Domestic Violence Crisis Service 6280 0900.
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A woman subjected to horrific abuse at the hands of her husband has come forward after several years, with a plea for some peace before she believes she will inevitably be killed.
The woman, who cannot be named, said in a victim impact statement she had come to terms with her eventual murder, and: “I live with the decision that I made in leaving, knowing that one decision will ultimately end my life.”
Her estranged husband, 44, has admitted to 30 charges related to his malicious abusing of her, and faces more jail time having already spent more than one year and seven months in prison on remand.
But the woman said her estranged husband had vowed that, if he were to ever land in jail, he’d “play the game”, say the right things, serve his time, and come after her when she least expected it.
“[Promises] were made to me over and over again … [that] when I’m happy … the last thing I would see would be his face as I’m tortured and my life ended,” the woman said in her victim impact statement.
“Cutting me down in the street, or taking me out [into] the bush to torture me, string me up to a tree and skin me alive, or slaughter me in my bed, or take my life in a graphic way that would put us in the news.”
A lengthy statement of facts tendered in the ACT Magistrates Court details some of the abuse the 44-year-old man subjected his wife to over several years.
He has beaten her while she was down, strangled her unconscious with a dressing gown tie, slammed her bloody head into a bathroom wall, and sliced her forehead with a 40-centimetre hunting knife while he made her watch an explicit video.
He has forced her to sleep in a garage “like a dog”, saying she “wasn’t even worth being pissed on”, and forced her to shave her head. He grabbed her hands and made her do it faster.
On Tuesday, a police officer gave evidence the man was a senior forensic mental health nurse who had worked for ACT Health and with prisoners before his arrest.
The 44-year-old sent sexually explicit images of the woman to her workmates and friends. At one point, he got into her home and police found him hiding behind a car in the garage when they came to arrest him.
In the woman’s victim impact statement, she said: “Every day I felt like I was walking on eggshells, never knowing what would be thrown at me, fists or words, or expectations.
“I survived by getting through each day one day at a time, trying to shelter the children pretending that everything was normal, that I was [OK].
“I was worn down to the point that I did not have energy to believe in myself anymore, no energy to stand up, or get the courage to do what I knew was the right thing, which was to leave.
“I was petrified of the repercussions of any actions that I could have taken, and I … still am to this day, but I knew that if I did not leave when I did then I would end up with my life completely in pieces or even dead.”
The woman said she only asked that she be able to raise her children through to adulthood “to allow them to grow into individuals to have some peace” before their lives were destroyed again when her’s ended.
Chief Magistrate Lorraine Walker will sentence the 44-year-old man at a later date.
Support is available for those who may be distressed by phoning Lifeline 13 11 14; Mensline 1300 789 978; Kids Helpline 1800 551 800; beyondblue 1300 224 636; 1800-RESPECT 1800 737 732; and, Domestic Violence Crisis Service 6280 0900.
The 44-year-old offender is due to be sentenced in the ACT Magistrates Court. Picture: Karleen Minney
