Woman found out she had been repeatedly raped in her sleep by partner after spotting horror videos on his laptop
A WOMAN found out she had been repeatedly raped in her sleep by her partner after finding horrifying videos on his laptop.
The woman, from Melbourne, suspected her fiancé was cheating on her and made the disturbing discovery after logging into his email account.
She found nine emails sent between his personal and work emails, each showing him sexually assaulting her while she was asleep, Victoria’s County Court heard.
Some of the only lasted seconds – but one went on for nearly 12 minutes.
She identified herself in the clips from her tattoos.
The woman had been in a relationship with the 34-year-old dad-of-two, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, for two years.
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He reportedly admitted raping her seven times and sexually assaulting her 21 times without her knowledge.
The man, a carpenter, pleaded guilty on Monday to three charges of sexual assault and two charges of rape, 9 News reports.
In the early hours of September 19, 2020, he touched her, undressed her and raped her, the court heard.
He filmed himself assaulting her again that night as she slept, and again on October 17, 2020.
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The woman said she was disgusted to find that someone she trusted had betrayed her to such an extent.
She said she felt violated and ashamed.
“I have no idea how I am supposed to trust anyone in an intimate relationship again in future,” she said.
The woman also said she was devastated to lose her relationship with her attacker’s children.
She said she had come to think of her partner’s family as her own.
The man appeared in court via a video link from his lawyer’s office.
Ten people provided references – including his elderly grandmother.
They described him as decent, kind and fundamentally good, his lawyer said.
The lawyer said the man was suffering from anxiety about the impact jail time would have on his two daughters and wider family.
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A psychologist found he “had an unreasonable apprehension of what consent was and what it wasn’t at the time of offending”.
The man will sentenced at a later date as a serious sexual offender.
How you can get help
Women's Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
- Always keep your phone nearby.
- Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999.
- Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
- Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
- If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – messageinfo@supportline.org.uk.
Women’s Aid provides a live chat service – available weekdays from 8am-6pm and weekends 10am-6pm.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.