DV victim ‘lives in fear’ after cop Neil Glen Punchard leaked her address to violent ex-partner

A victim of domestic violence says she feels ‘endlessly threatened and vulnerable’ after her address was leaked to her violent ex-partner by police officer Neil Glen Punchard. She reveals her torment in a victim impact statement to the courts.

A domestic violence victim says she will always live in fear after her address was leaked by Senior Constable Neil Glen Punchard.

A VICTIM of domestic violence says she feels ‘endlessly threatened and vulnerable’ after Queensland police officer Neil Glen Punchard leaked her address to her violent ex-partner.

Senior Constable Punchard avoided jail this week after pleading guilty to nine counts of using a restricted computer.

His victim tendered the following victim impact statement to the court:

“IT is with a heavy heart, I write to tell you how and why my life will never be the same again.

“I wish to explain to you how this abhorrent criminal act and breach to my privacy has not only affected me, but how this vile misuse and abuse of power has meant that I feel endlessly threatened and vulnerable.

“Words cannot describe the hurt, stress and deep anxieties that I suffer on a daily basis because of a police officer in a job expected to protect me, did the exact opposite.

“The fact it was no accident, instead deliberate, and it was calculating, has made it all the more painful.

“I never go anywhere alone because of fear. I lock the car doors as soon as I get into the car. No matter what I do, I cannot feel safe.

“The detriment this act has caused to all of us sees no end. We have had to relocate homes twice because of the privacy breach and not a day goes by when we are not all still looking over our shoulder.

The woman says she lives in constant fears after a Queensland police officer leaked her address to her violent ex-partner. Picture: istock

“I cannot comprehend how a person in such a trusted job could do such a horrible thing and think it would be without consequence.

“I do not understand how this officer remains employed by the QPS and still has access to weapons, restraining equipment and most alarmingly firearms.

I live in fear every day because of Neil Punchard’s actions.

“To find out that a police officer, was plotting with an abuser behind closed doors is a sense of betrayal that is difficult to articulate.

“This has taken the level of threat to unimaginable heights of distraught leaving me scared. My children and I have remained, and will remain for the rest of our lives in a state of hypervigilance. I cannot trust new people. I am unable to make new friends or know which police officer’s to trust again.

Senior Constable Neil Glen Punchard leaked the DV victim’s address because he wanted her to be terrified. Picture: AAP Image/Glenn Hunt

“I do not have the freedom to report any concerns to the police for fear of Neil Punchard interfering with them either directly or indirectly. I have been let down again and again by a system that has failed to respond adequately to the seriousness of this offence, which means my sleep is regularly affected.

“I suffer nightmares, and I operate most days feeling anxious. I have PTSD and so have my children. I feel that I need to change my routine every single day. I and am no longer able to vote as I cannot provide my address out of fear of it being accessed and disclosed.

“I worry about Neil Punchard finding my new address and giving it once again to the violent offender who is still at large from police.

“I have lost so many opportunities because I cannot think about starting a new business in the industry I was previously in — I would feel like a sitting duck, and I find myself looking for opportunities to work from home so I feel less threatened.

The woman says she spoke out to offer hope to other victims of domestic violence.

“I regularly consider relocating away from my Australia. Our lives have been turned upside down by a breach of trust that has a long reaching and long-lasting ripple effect. I am overwhelmed with anxiety that this person has remained in the police service after committing such vile acts of abuse.

“I still cannot comprehend any logical reason why this man is not yet incarcerated. The response to what has occurred has added to my trauma.

“I will forever feel that I have an invisible enemy lurking. I pray that one day this nightmare will be over and that I could resume a somewhat normal life. I thought that if I was brave enough to come forward and speak up, that the strength of the law would remove such a threat immediately. It has not.

“As a woman and mother, I am not safe, and for that I feel betrayed, as a tax payer I feel ripped off, as a person I feel bullied. I had no choice left but to stir a hornet’s nest by going to the media with my story.

“If it were not for the ongoing support of total strangers responding to stories in the media, and sending me the strength to carry on in the face of immense adversity and an enormous power imbalance, I am not sure how I could have stood up against the degree of maliciousness that I have endured during this process.

“I hope my words offer some personal perspective to how unjust this ongoing matter has been for my family and I.

“Every time a woman is killed by domestic violence in Australia, which is most weeks, I am triggered because as long as Neil Punchard is a police officer, I think how I could still be one of those statistics.

“Our lives have been drastically affected by the acts of this officer, please send a strong message so that other lives can be spared from the effects of this unacceptable behaviour your honour.

“I am one of the fortunate ones who can still speak up. Please deliver justice, a strong message will offer all victims of DV some hope. I hope and pray that my children and I can find some form of normalcy once again.”

Originally published as DV victim ‘lives in fear’ after cop Neil Glen Punchard leaked her address to violent ex-partner