Husband who beat pregnant wife daily first in nation to be jailed on charges of servitude

The man subjected his wife to horrific beatings and coercive control, including isolating her from her friends and family and locking her inside their Melbourne apartment, a court heard.

A Melbourne man has become the first person in Australia to be sentenced for aggravated servitude after subjecting his wife to years of abuse. Picture: file image

A Melbourne man who forced his wife to seek permission to eat, sleep and go to the toilet, accompanied her to university lectures and locked her in the car for hours while he attended work has been jailed over the “cruel, inhumane and degrading” abuse.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is the first person in Australia to be sentenced for aggravated servitude following the years-long torment.

He subjected his wife to horrific family violence and coercive control, including daily beatings while she was pregnant, isolating her from her friends and family and locking her inside their apartment.

On Wednesday, the man was jailed for 12 years with a non-parole period of nine years, with Supreme Court justice Jane Dixon describing his conduct as “cruel, inhumane and degrading”.

“(Your wife) came under your total control,” she said.

“She was deprived of freedom and liberty in almost every aspect of her life.

“I have no doubt the impact on (her) has been ... enduring.”

Now aged 26, the man began physically and verbally abusing his then-girlfriend when she moved in with him a month after they started dating in June 2020.

On one occasion, he repeatedly punched her in the face without provocation while they were seated in a car before dragging her back by her hair when she tried to escape.

He also isolated her from friends and loved ones, only allowing her to speak with her overseas family for up to ten minutes at a time and while he was present in the room.

The man began attending his wife’s university classes, later banning her from attending in person at all.

The husband, jailed on charges on servitude, inflicted daily beatings on his pregnant wife. Picture: file image

She was also forced to sit in their car for hours at a time while he was at work, with an alarm set-up to go off if she exited.

The young couple fell pregnant but the abuse continued to escalate, with weekly beatings becoming a daily occurrence and involving the use of a belt and a metal pole.

After giving birth, the woman and her baby were locked inside their Melbourne apartment while her husband went out to socialise.

She was also forced to video herself to prove she hadn’t left, with Justice Dixon noting she only left their home on three occasions in six months.

The woman had to seek permission to eat, use the bathroom or sleep, and also missed vital prenatal care appointments during her pregnancy, as she was not permitted to attend without his company.

Her husband also transferred more than $50,000 sent from her family to his own bank accounts.

In July 2023, the victim was able to contact her mother using her husband’s laptop, sending a video of her damaged body, including bruises, black eyes and lacerations and scarring.

The mother flew to Australia to raise the alarm with authorities who arrested the husband.

Justice Dixon said the abuse came to an end because of the “bravery of the victim and her mother seeking help”, and not because the man was remorseful or inclined to stop.

After his arrest, the man blamed his wife for his abhorrent behaviour.

“Yeah I give her consequences pretty much,” he said when shown footage of her injuries.

The court heard the woman suffered extensive injuries from the more than three years of abuse, including fractured ribs and vertebrates, multiple blunt force traumas and extensive bruising and scarring across her body.

Since escaping her husband, she has to undergo multiple surgeries to remove cauliflower ear and compartment syndrome in her arm due to trauma.

The court heard her husband was diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder with anti-social features, including a lack of empathy and an impaired social functioning due selfishness and egocentricity.

Appearing in court via video link from prison, the man at times looked around the room and wiped his face but otherwise showed little reaction during the sentencing hearing.

He pleaded guilty to charges including causing a person to enter into or remain in servitude, assault and drug possession.

With time served, he will be eligible for release in 2032 before he is likely deported.