A man in Australia has been sentenced to jail for a crime so heinous that has made him the first person to be convicted under such a rare offence.
Last week, Justice Jane Dixon sentenced the man to up to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to the Commonwealth offence of forcing a person to enter or remain in servitude, as well as two assault counts.
Servitude is defined as being ‘criminalised as a slavery-like practice, punishable by imprisonment, and includes the condition of a person who is not free to stop providing services or leave the place where they provide services’.
The man apparently cannot be named for legal reasons, abused his wife physically, beat her with poles, belts and cables, and also subjected her to coercive control, which makes the crime even more cruel.
Over the course of three years, he kept his wife a prisoner in their home, locking her in rooms while he went out socialising, seizing her money, and cutting off contact with family members. The man reportedly demanded that his wife send videos to ensure she was still imprisoned while he was out of the house.
The court heard how, even while pregnant, the woman was unable to use the loo or seek medical attention. After their baby was born, the crime intensified, and the court heard evidence of the dad abusing his child.
“At first she was hit once or twice a week, but soon you began to hit her every day even for the most trivial of reasons, such as that she yawned or looked at you,” said Justice Dixon said.
“By July 2023 you began to lose your temper with (your child), on one occasion yelling in her face that you would kill her. And on another occasion placing a belt around her neck and doing it up tight enough to make her scared and cry.”
While the assault began in 2020, it lasted three years until the lady emailed her mother a video of herself covered in cuts and bruises, which was then reported to the police. During sentencing, Justice Dixon added: “As well as being subjected to regular violent assaults, she was deprived of personal freedom and liberty in almost every aspect of her life.
“The aggravated servitude in the present case involved a regime of extraordinary cruelty and tyranny perpetrated over a lengthy period.”
View this post on Instagram
If you are facing domestic violence, please know that you are not alone. You can speak confidentially with the national domestic abuse hotline Refuge at 0808 2000 247, which is accessible 24/7, or by live chat from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Friday.
If you have been affected by any of these situations and would like to speak with someone in confidence about a child’s safety, call the NSPCC at 0808 800 5000, 10am-8pm Monday through Friday. If you are a youngster in need of help and assistance, call Childline for free at 0800 1111, available 24/7.
