Warning: This story contains graphic content presented to the court.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
A former Ballarat White Ribbon ambassador repeatedly abused, manipulated and raped his wife, who says she now fights every day to feel like she is 'worth something'.
The Courier can now name the man as former prison officer and organ donation campaigner Jon Seccull, after an interim suppression order preventing publication of his name was lifted on Monday.
The victim, who is now separated from Seccull, has given permission for The Courier to name him, knowing doing so would identify her.
Seccull, 43, was found guilty of nine charges of rape by a jury after a two-and-a-half week trial in Ballarat in June.
There have been rivers of tears as I am relentlessly hit with feelings of being disgusting and have to shower and try to scrub myself clean, at any time of day or night.
- Victim
The charged offences arose out of five different incidents at the couple's family home in Wallace from January 2011 to September 2015.
"It was multiple violent, forceful sexual episodes that involved degradation, threats, abusive and derogatory language and the most significant breach of trust with controlling and manipulative behaviour by a husband," Crown prosecutor Damien Hannan said.
"Particular humiliating aspects make it serious."
Evidence to the court revealed the man's controlling behaviours began early and escalated throughout their marriage.
The County Court heard on Monday during a further plea hearing Seccull showed no remorse and continued to deny the 'humiliating', 'degrading', 'premeditated' and 'violent' offending.
The victim read her victim impact statement during the last court hearing in August and said she struggled every day to fight Secull's poisonous words that told her she was 'nothing'.
"The words that told me I was 'useless', 'too fat', 'too stupid', 'too ugly', 'no good', a 'waste of oxygen', that I was lucky he would have me because 'no one else would want me'," she said.
"These words were spat at me over and over and over again, for hours at a time and continuously play on a loop in my brain.
"The effort it has taken so far, and will take in the future, to try to turn that abusive rhetoric off for good, is mammoth and an ongoing struggle."
During the trial, the court heard the victim felt there was a constant threat of punishment if she did not follow Seccull's sexual fantasies, including her having sex with other men.
Evidence revealed Seccull choked his wife for sexual pleasure, to the point of losing consciousness.
He was found guilty of urinating on the victim and forcing her to have anal sex, saying 'no' was no longer an option.
Secull's sexual aggression made the victim vomit at times.
He raped her while verbally abusing her and another time while she pretended to be asleep.
He said he was 'going to smash her f*cking head in and put her in ICU as he was going to end it all and it was worth it'.
"There have been rivers of tears as I am relentlessly hit with feelings of being disgusting and have to shower and try to scrub myself clean, at any time of day or night," the victim said.
"Because of the sexual abuse I was subjected to, and because I was endlessly told I was disgusting.
"I fight every single day to prove that I am worth something, that I am worth love and my love for others is worth something, even though the voice in my head tells me I am wrong.
"I feel ashamed that I was a bright, intelligent, outgoing and strong person, and I was reduced to nothing. I can't even begin to explain what nothing feels like."
The victim said Seccull told her and her children abuse was a normal part of everyday life.
"We were made to suck it up and get used to how things were, and to keep what happened inside the house, inside the house," she said.
"I was told, again and again, that what happened between us was normal, everyone did it, they just didn't talk about it."
Seccull and the victim had been married for 13 years and had children together. They separated in March 2016.
In the same year, the complainant reported the allegations to the police and the man was arrested in 2017.
Seccull had been on bail but was taken into custody when he was found guilty at trial in June.
Defence barrister Chris Pearson said during Monday's court hearing Seccull was experiencing anxiety in prison, due to his role as a former senior prison guard for 16-years.
He said Seccull was in a protection unit but would have ongoing anxiety for the duration of his time in prison, due to fear of seeing prisoners who knew him as a guard.
The offending was particularly violent and serious and he has shown little remorse for his actions.
- Damien Hannan, Crown prosecutor
Mr Hannan said there were aggravating features that alleviated the seriousness of Seccull's offending.
He said the rapes were premeditated at times, repeated, violent with physical assaults, forceful, painful and degrading.
"(The victim) described she kept the resistance and screaming to a minimum because she felt if she let him know he was hurting her he would just keep going," Mr Hannan said.
"After another incident... he said (her behaviour) was not acceptable and she needed to be punished.
"Repeated physical force... meant she couldn't breathe and caused her to vomit."
Mr Hannan submitted the most serious incident was one that involved the humiliation of Seccull urinating on the victim.
"Overall the offending was aggravated by the repetition of these incidents over a number of years. All involved a breach of trust between a husband and wife," he said.
"These were the greatest possible breaches of that fundamental trust."
Mr Hannan said evidence to the jury about uncharged acts demonstrated Seccull's ingrained attitude that sex was for his own sexual gratification rather than hers.
"The offending was particularly violent and serious and he has shown little remorse for his actions," he said.
Mr Pearson said it was conceded a substantial term of imprisonment would be imposed.
He said at court last month his client had been highly regarded and well supported in the community and had good prospects for rehabilitation.
"His previous good work ethic and reasonable intellect means in my submission he has a capacity to learn from his experiences and do something about his life," he said.
Seccull will return to court for sentencing in October.
Affected by this story? There is help available. You can phone the Ballarat Centre Against Sexual Assault, in Sebastopol, on 5320 3933, or free-call the crisis care line 24 hours on 1800 806 292. Or phone Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Relationships Australia on 1300 364 277.
If you are seeing this message you are a loyal digital subscriber to The Courier, as we made this story available only to subscribers. Thank you very much for your support and allowing us to continue telling Ballarat's story. We appreciate your support of journalism in our great city.