Police say four chilling incidents in a year at domestic violence victim’s home are unrelated

Natalie must be the unluckiest woman in Australia.

In the 12 months since separating from her abusive and controlling husband, who has continued to stalk, menace and threaten her, cops have been called to her Melbourne home four times.

But police insist the terrifying incidents they responded to are totally unrelated to her ongoing abuse.

First there was the firebombing of her sister’s car, parked on the street outside, which had been surveilled for hours before being set alight.

Next, a trio of men, clad in black, sat across the street late into the evening, staring at her property and taking photographs.

One of those men stropped to urinate in Natalie’s driveway.

‘Then there was an armed invasion by two masked men, carrying knives, who stole Natalie’s car.

And then, just two weeks ago, there was the suspicious figure who seen approaching the front of her home before being scared away.

Natalie, who continues to live in fear post-separation, doesn’t share the view of police that those are all miraculous coincidences.

“I know it’s him,” she told news.com.au.

Natalie, which is not her real name – she can’t be identified for legal reasons – has made a number of reports to police, not just about those four encounters, but of her ex’s ongoing harassment.

She has amassed a trove of images, videos, voice notes and screenshots that catalogue the shocking extent of her ongoing torment.

In one ominous text message, the man speaks of being the last thing she will see before she “goes”, while on another occasion, he eerily sent a video of himself firing a shotgun.

Natalie has received a barrage of messages from the man over the past 12 months, including a staggering 600 texts in a single month.

Photos of the man driving past her home, a written admission he was watching her from a park across the street, threats he would destroy her life and burn down her home, and details of a call in which he mentioned watching her sleep, are among the cache of evidence.

He has tried to gain access to the house by contacting the original builder and implying they were still a couple. He was unsuccessful.

That was several hours before the three suspicious men appeared outside late at night, Natalie said.

On another occasion, he tried to make changes to the property’s security system and insisted he move back to protect her in the wake of the armed home invasion.

Despite that, the man has not been charged with any offences, even though some of that contact constituted a breach of a family violence intervention order (FVIO), obtained by police on Natalie’s behalf.

The latest FVIO was bungled when officers failed to deliver it to the man, meaning it was not enforced for some 30 days.

Natalie recently reported to her local police station, accompanied by her domestic and family violence counsellor, to notify them of yet another breach of the FVIO, only to be told that pursuing such matters costs about $10,000.

“So basically, they need to be sure it’s worth it, and he didn’t think my case was worth it,” she said.

Natalie has been deemed a level-three, high risk victim in need of immediate protection.

Safer Steps domestic and family violence consultant Kellene Elder has been working with Natalie on navigating the system meant to protect her.

Ms Elder is horrified that she has been let down at every turn, allowing the man to continue his abusive behaviour without consequence.

“The victim has consistently reported these ongoing issues since her separation,” she said.

“Despite their clear obligation to act, these systems and organisations have failed her considerably. This ongoing negligence by authorities highlights a severe systemic failure.”

Those failures have not only endangered Natalie, but served to undermine public confidence in the mechanisms designed to protect the community, particularly vulnerable Australians.

For Natalie, her unending torment is just the tip of the iceberg.

“I’ve lost my business. I have to sell my home. I have to leave Melbourne. I most likely have to leave my family, my community, for someone who’s been in the country for four years, because no one will intervene.

“I don’t know what else to do, I don’t know where else to go. I am totally distraught and no-one is listening.”

In a statement, a spokesperson for Victoria Police insisted it takes all reports of domestic and family violence, “stalking, threatening behaviour, and breaches of family violence intervention orders”, seriously.

“These crimes are unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” the spokesperson said.

“Police investigate all contraventions of family violence intervention orders and pursue criminal charges whenever perpetrators breach those orders.

“We know that many breaches are committed using technology, with offenders using text messages or social media, to target victims.

“Misuse of technology by perpetrators means they can breach orders without having to leave their house.

“Police aim to serve family violence intervention orders on perpetrators as soon as possible, which is usually within 14 days of the application being made.

“On occasion it can take longer for police to serve family violence intervention orders on a perpetrator, for example, if they are avoiding service or trying not to be found by police.

“Police are working tirelessly across the state to enforce orders and make sure perpetrators are accountable for their behaviour.

“Specialist family violence investigators will identify breaches of orders through proactive monitoring and targeting of family violence perpetrators.

“Victoria Police conducts regular operations to proactively target and apprehend perpetrators to ensure the safety of victims.”

News.com.au also put a list of questions to Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan. In response, a government spokesperson insisted domestic and family violence remains a top priority.

“Addressing family violence isn’t just about improving the justice system – it’s about a long term cultural shift in how we treat the issue,” the spokesperson said.

“No one who is brave enough to speak up about their situation should walk away feeling like they were not taken seriously.

“We are continuing to work on how we can better protect victims of family violence and stalking — because we know that stalking can cause lasting harm to survivors’ mental and physical health and can escalate to more serious offending.

“Our recently announced women’s safety package includes planned changes to the service of FVIOs, so that we can put a stop to perpetrators who deliberately avoid being served and enable protection to start sooner.

“We’ve also announced changes to the stalking offence to make it easier to apply for Personal Safety Intervention Orders – helping more victims of stalking get the protection they need, with legislative changes to be introduced into parliament next year.”

This week, news.com.au exposed the shocking chain of events that saw immigration officials effectively notify the man – a foreign national – that Natalie was preparing to leave him.

That shocking failure of procedures placed her at significant risk, as she wasn’t ready to safely flee, nor had she authorised authorities to make contact with the man, whose visa she was sponsoring.

In addition, news.com.au revealed that authorities have ignored reports, accompanied by evidence, of the man’s defrauding of Medicare.

While in the country on a working holiday visa, he underwent a major surgical procedure using an Australian citizen’s Medicare details.