Family violence survivor breaks silence on decade of ‘living hell’

A Melbourne mum has broken her silence about more than a decade of “living hell”, saying the judicial system has failed to prevent sickening death threats and harassment from her former partner.

Family violence survivor Sheona Mitchell says her ex sent her more than 2000 text messages threatening to kill her. Picture: David Caird

A family violence survivor has broken her silence about more than a decade of “living hell”, saying the judicial system has failed to prevent sickening death threats and harassment from her former partner.

Melbourne single mother of two, Sheona Mitchell, claims Julio Pizarro sent her more than 2000 text messages threatening to kill her, with one saying he would “cut her up into pieces and bury me interstate”.

The Chilean, who accrued more than 100 convictions between 1992 and 2016 for multiple charges of assault, stalking, criminal damage, making threats to kill, inflicting serious injury and repeatedly breaching court orders, had his visa cancellation overturned in 2018 following time on Christmas Island.

Then Administrative Appeals Tribunal deputy president Stephanie Forgie said the knowledge that another offence was “likely to lead to his visa being cancelled” led her to conclude that the risk of Pizarro breaching court orders was “greatly reduced”.

Ms Mitchell says the judicial system has failed to prevent sickening death threats and harassment from her former partner. Picture: David Caird

But Ms Mitchell alleges that despite previous court orders he has continued to text and show up at her house, with police currently investigating reports of a threat that occurred on Monday.

“He has made my life a living hell,” she said.

“I’ve spent like a decade just trying to keep my family safe.

“We just want to live in peace.

“If magistrates did what they said they were going to do, we’d be happy, we would be in peace. But we’re not. It’s a massive failure.”

Ms Mitchell began a relationship with Pizarro in 2002 and the pair had a son together, who is now aged 19.

She claims he became aggressive when her son was five years old and this lead to their separation in 2009.

Ms Mitchell said was repeatedly given one-year apprehended violence orders, with the last expiring during Covid lockdowns in 2021.

Ms Mitchell alleges that despite previous court orders her ex-partner has continued to text and show up at her house. Picture: David Caird

She said there were periods when she visited the Brunswick police station daily due to the threatening text messages, adding they had done everything they could but the court had let her down.

“It’s massively disappointing,” she said.

“He still keeps coming back. He’s still trying to make everyone’s life that little bit harder.”

In deciding to cancel Pizarro’s deportation in 2018, Ms Forgie said: “The risk of harm that faces members of the Australian community, and particularly (Sheona Mitchell) and children, is outweighed by the consequences for Mr Pizarro if he is required to leave the country that in which he was accepted as a very young baby and in which he has grown up, been educated, worked and lived his whole life bar six months or so”.

Ms Forgie said Pizarro had made “considerable efforts” to change his ways, after a difficult childhood growing up with violence.

This included attending drug and alcohol treatment and behavioural programs.