ELISABETH* is living every day in fear.
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Her violent ex-partner is due to face the Victorian Adult Parole Board any day after being jailed for rape and sexual assault.
The offences occurred when Elisabeth, who was only 16, broke off their relationship.
She was abducted from central Ballarat on her way to school and subjected to a four-and-a-half hour ordeal, despite an intervention order being in place.
Before and during the trial, Elisabeth was threatened several times and told her family home would be burnt down with all of them in it.
She was also warned her friends would be attacked and her family’s throats would be cut.
“He destroyed my life,” Elisabeth said.
“And now, if he gets out and finds me, he will hurt me and he will hurt me bad.”
Elisabeth’s family was also forced to move home after an earlier intervention order showed their new address.
Her ex-partner was served with a new order only three days ago which now only shows which Ballarat suburb he can’t enter, not a house or street number.
However, Elisabeth said he always bragged an intervention order was “just a piece of paper”.
“And now all I’ve got to stand on is a piece of paper. It’s really scary.”
Elisabeth said she was trying to find out when her ex-partner would be paroled and if he was planning to return to Ballarat but hadn’t been able to get any answers.
She has also written a victim impact statement to the parole board but was allegedly told there were no guarantees it would be taken into account when considering his case.
Elisabeth said she was also angry at the way police and the legal system handled her case.
“I just feel like there was a complete lack of consequences for what he did.
“Even though he is in jail, there has still been no justice.”
Since the attack, Elisabeth has suffered depression and agoraphobia and dropped out of school.
Elisabeth’s case follows recent scrutiny on the Victorian Adult Parole Board following the deaths of Ballarat woman Sharon Siermans and Melbourne’s Jill Meagher, who were both murdered by men on parole.
Bacchus Marsh’s Sarah Cafferkey was also killed by a convicted murderer who had just completed his parole.
Premier Denis Napthine recently said a new amendment to corrections law mandated that registered victims be given at least 14 days’ notice of a prisoner’s release on parole.
He said the state government had taken a tough approach to parole in the wake of the Victorian Adult Parole Board review carried out by former High Court Justice Ian Callinan, released in August.
Corrections Victoria spokesperson Rachel Tosolini said victims of a violent crime can apply to be included on the Victims Register managed by the Victims Support Agency.
She said it then provides timely, relevant and accurate information to victims about the prisoner during their period of imprisonment.
Individuals included on the register have a statutory right to send a written submission before parole hearings.
“The Victims Registrar will provide advice about the release of an offender on parole, including any special conditions imposed that are relevant to the victim and any cancellation of the order,” Ms Tosolini said.
*Elisabeth is not her real name
fiona.henderson@fairfaxmedia.com.au