Nara Walker reveals what happened before she bit off then-husband’s tongue

An Australian woman who bit off her then-husband’s tongue during a drunken evening, says the incident happened after he assaulted her.

Nara Walker was jailed in Iceland for biting off part of her then-husband’s tongue.

An Australian woman who was jailed in Iceland for biting off part of her husband’s tongue has revealed her version of the chaotic events leading up to the incident.

In the early hours of November 1, 2017 police were called to the Reykjavik apartment that Nara Walker shared with her then husband and arrested her for biting off about 2.5cm of his tongue.

Ms Walker told 9news.com.au the couple had been partying with an American tourist they had met that weekend and an Icelandic woman.

Things took a disturbing turn after Ms Walker tried to leave with the American man and her angry husband pushed the man down the stairs.

She has accused her now ex-husband of being abusive towards her in the past and says he pushed her back on to the stairs and also punched her. She says her husband then carried her back upstairs to the apartment.

“I was crying and he kept yelling that I was his and calling me insults,” Ms Walker said.

“I was still finding it difficult to breathe and he forced his tongue into my mouth.

“I reacted without thought or intent.”

Ms Walker bit down on her husband’s tongue, severing part of it. This sparked a brawl also involving the Icelandic woman and all three of them were injured.

When police arrived, Ms Walker was arrested and she was later sentenced to 12 months in jail for the serious assault of her then-husband and assault of the Icelandic woman. All but three months were suspended but her sentence was increased to 15 months after a failed appeal.

Nara Walker was jailed in Iceland for biting off her then-husband’s tongue.

While her former husband’s tongue was able to be reattached, it is shorter than before, something he claims has left him with a permanent speech impediment.

Ms Walker said authorities appear to have no interest in bringing domestic charges against her ex-husband and “deemed me guilty as soon as they walked into my apartment”.

On the night Ms Walker bit off her husband’s tongue, she suffered a fractured rib, internal bruising, a sprained vertebra, chest injuries and bruising to her upper arms and legs.

She has accused her former husband of physically assaulting her, raping her in her sleep and said she also woke up one night while her husband was tying her to the bed to allegedly rape her after a fight.

Nine reports it has seen messages between the couple that appear to show her ex-husband admitting to physically assaulting and raping her.

Nara Walker has accused her husband of being physically abusive.

“What am I meant to do when a man twice my size in weight and his height being 25cm towering over me, who has used all accounts of violence against me over the years again and again, beats me up and carries me back inside my home to hold me against my will as prisoner to then force himself on to me?” Ms Walker said.

The jail sentence has also meant Ms Walker is unable to leave Iceland or return to Australia. Ms Walker is an artist originally from the Sunshine Coast.

“I want to come home, I’m stuck here, I can’t work here. It’s as if I’m still stuck in the abuse of my ex,” she said. “I’m not able to travel, I’m not able to work.

“I’m not able to live a life of freedom or see my family.”

She has now applied for an appeal to the Supreme Court of Iceland, the country’s highest court.

If you or someone you know is affected by sexual assault, please call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)