Women who survived Matthew Hulls’ horrific domestic violence urge SA court to jail him to save lives

Women tortured, caged and tattooed as property by a drug-fuelled tyrant have urged a court to jail him – to potentially save his next partner’s life.

All they wanted, in their own words, was to “love and protect” Matthew Hulls – and he repaid their devotion and care with unrelenting fear and torture.

Having survived five years of heinous abuse at Hulls’ hands, his former partners bravely faced him in the District Court on Tuesday to give victim impact statements.

They condemned Hulls for breaking their bodies, shattering their wellbeing and severing their ties with their children and extended families.

Their pain, they said, would continue forever – but they told Hulls his criminal behaviour could, and had to, stop.

“All I wanted was to love and protect you, but you bragged about me being your slave … you branded me with a tattoo marking me as your property … I didn’t deserve this,” one said.

“It’s time for you to see the person you really are … please, for the sake of every person you’ve hurt and those you may hurt in the future, take this time to change.

“He has left a trail of destruction in his wake … I fear that, if he’s not stopped, he will kill the next woman.”

The second victim said she could forgive Hulls “but forgetting is a harder fight”.

“You would torture me for hours to ‘tell the truth’ about whatever outrageous and bizarre (belief) you had invented in your mind,” she said.

“What you did was unprovoked, cruel, violent and consistent … you are twice my size and you never held back when you hit me.

“You showed me no mercy at all … you smiled and laughed while I was crying, begging and afraid … you thought it was funny, that I deserved it.”

Hulls, 38, pleaded guilty to 18 domestic violence offences committed against the two women between September 2021 and May 2022.

Previously, prosecutors alleged he monitored the women via CCTV, handcuffed and choked them, and threatened them with hammers and chemical-filled syringes.

They further alleged Hulls attempted to waterboard one, locked one in a birdcage, handcuffed one to the bed and made her “beg for her life”.

On Tuesday, counsel for Hulls said his client had suffered from drug psychosis with “persecutory” delusions that “exaggerated” his “reaction to difficulties”.

“He instructs that he does not want to use drugs ever again … there’s a flavour of self-loathing (to that) … he has shame for his behaviour and wants to change,” he said.

“He doesn’t know what led him to violence except drugs and alcohol … he sees himself as someone who hates violence.

“He has very limited memory of this period of time at all, let alone the offending (but) he accepts responsibility.”

Judge Anthony Allen remanded Hulls in custody for sentencing in August.

Originally published as Women who survived Matthew Hulls’ horrific domestic violence urge SA court to jail him to save lives