Investigation into DV abuser’s 1553 calls to victim from jail phone

A high risk domestic violence offender managed to get his alleged victim’s phone number added to list of approved people he was allowed to call from jail.

A major investigation is now underway to uncover how high-risk domestic violence offender Eden Sperzel added a his alleged victim's numbers to his approved contacts list and bombarded her with 1553 calls from jail.

A domestic violence victim was bombarded with 1553 calls from her alleged attacker on an approved jail phone, in breach of a protective court order that banned him from contacting her.

A major investigation is now underway to uncover how high-risk domestic violence offender Eden Sperzel added the woman’s numbers to his approved contacts list and made the calls while incarcerated at John Morony Prison in Sydney’s north west.

The 27-year-old made the ­astonishing number of calls in just three months – an average of almost 20 calls per day.

Sperzel has multiple domestic violence convictions, is registered as a high risk domestic violence offender and made the calls after being charged with ­assaulting the woman.

Corrections Minister Anoulack Chanthivong demanded an investigation yesterday and ­issued his “sincere apologies” to the woman after being alerted to the “very troubling incident” by The Sunday Telegraph.

Eden Sperzel was jailed over the extraordinary number of calls.

“All appropriate actions will be taken to ensure a circumstance like this can never occur again,” a spokesman for Mr Chanthivong said.

A Corrective Services spokeswoman said: “The Minister for Corrections has directed the Acting Corrections Commissioner (Leon Taylor) to urgently conduct a review into this matter”.

Corrections Minister Anoulack Chanthivong (right) has directed Acting Corrective Services Commissioner Leon Taylor to conduct an investigation into how the calls occurred.

Sperzel’s call list was supposed to be vetted by staff using high tech intelligence systems.

The Maroubra man – who police have charged 39 times with a total of 72 offences – was being held in the prison after being charged with assaulting the woman on August 19. Police took out an apprehended violence order to protect the woman.

This included a strict condition that Sperzel not contact her, except through a lawyer.

Sperzel began making calls from the jail the day after his arrest.

By the time police charged Sperzel on November 18, after being alerted by prison staff, he had called her 1553 times.

An aerial view of the John Morony Correctional Complex, where Sperzel made the calls.

Police documents tendered to court said the woman repeatedly told (Sperzel) “she does not wish to speak with him”.

In Waverley Local Court on Thursday, Sperzel was sentenced to between four and eight months in prison after pleading guilty to using a carriage service to menace or harass and breaching his AVO.

Eden Sperzel was on remand when he made the calls.

Lawyer Stephen Alexander told the court his client was working to improve himself.

The sentence included a conviction for breaching the good behaviour bond he was placed on for choking the woman.

Sperzel’s lawyer Stephen ­Alexander said his client ­“accepted responsibility for his criminal conduct” and was taking anger management and domestic violence courses.

The court heard Sperzel was found not guilty of the domestic violence charge that landed him in John Morony prison.

Magistrate Stephen Barlow told the court Sperzel’s 27-page criminal record, which includes domestic violence convictions, was “extremely disturbing”.

“There is something about your psychological makeup that makes you an extremely dangerous person,” Mr Barlow said.

“You carried on in total and utter defiance of an AVO … the only tool we have to keep women safe – or prison.”

The woman had the court vary the AVO to allow Sperzal to speak with her and their child by telephone.

A NSW Police spokeswoman said they began investigating on October 23.

Sperzel was inside John Morony Correctional Centre at South Windsor.

On October 25, Sperzel called the woman while police were visiting her at home.

Police downloaded Sperzel’s prison call record, which revealed he had called the woman 1553 times between August 20 and November 12.

Domestic violence awareness group Full Stop’s CEO Karen Bevan said, “Our systems need to evolve …(because) people who use violence can and do continue to weaponize systems.”

It is understood that part of the prison’s investigation will focus on whether the woman helped facilitate the phone contact and what measures can be implemented to protect victims from being coerced to set up illegal contact.