Domestic violence victims in Victoria are being stalked by their attackers from behind bars in a major system failure, 7NEWS can reveal.
Natasha suffered years of abuse at the hands of her former boyfriend Logan Curtis Wright.
She recorded some of the assaults on her phone in which you can hear the 35-year-old beat and strangle her.
“Anything used to anger him, it didn’t take very much,” Natasha told 7NEWS.
Despite Wright being jailed for two and a half years and receiving a 10-year intervention order prohibiting any contact with her, Natasha kept getting phone calls from her ex-partner.
He would also send love letters which were sent through prison mail via other prisoners.
“It’s nerve wracking having people contact you that have just come out from serving time with him because you’ve got no idea what they’re going to be like,” Natasha said.
Wright was repeatedly breaching the intervention order by falsifying Natasha’s name on his prison contact lists as well as using coercive control tactics to force her compliance.
He was convicted and sentenced to an extra three months’ jail for the breaches.
In a statement Corrections Victoria says it takes breaches of intervention orders seriously and has protocols in place for all prisoner phone calls, recording all calls and if needed “notifying police”.
While intervention orders can specifically prohibit a prisoner from calling a victim, corrections officers will still pick up the phone on behalf of a prisoner and ask that victim if they want to be contacted, in effect facilitating breaches of intervention orders, especially when a history of guilt and coercive control can lead a victim to comply.
Claudia Fatone, the chief executive of Women’s Legal Service Victoria, said there were many reasons why victim survivors may pick up the phone, but the focus should be on the behaviour of the perpetrator.
“Unfortunately, it’s something we hear almost daily from victim survivors that we support that when they report a breach it’s not properly followed up,” she said.
If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au. In an emergency, call triple-0.
For advice and counselling for men concerned about their use of family violence call 1300 766 491.
If you need help in a crisis, call Lifeline on 131114. For further information about depression contact beyondblue on 1300224636 or talk to your GP, local health professional or someone you trust.
