Latest news with #RhiannonPurcell
News.com.au
4 days ago
- Health
- News.com.au
Sydney mum speaking out after horrific domestic violence assaults
WARNING: Disturbing images and descriptions of violence Rhiannon Purcell had an impossible choice to make. She had been arguing over the phone with her estranged ex-husband as she was driving to collect her twin daughters, aged 3, from his home in southwest Sydney. She pulled over, fearing that when she arrived he would take his anger out on her physically. But she could not leave her kids with him, either. In an act of selflessness and bravery on that night in March, 2023, Ms Purcell drove on. Her ex-husband made his intentions clear in the driveway of the home when he turned off the outside lights and walked to her car. 'I was assuming he did that so no-one could see anything. I was terrified,' Ms Purcell told He put the girls in the back and sat beside Ms Purcell in the front passenger seat. 'He just started saying, 'Who are you to talk to me like that?' It was really aggressive. I knew straight away that I was going to be attacked so I went for the door to run. He snatched her phone off her before attacking her, according to court documents seen by ABC News, which first reported Ms Purcell's harrowing story. 'As I went to get out, I felt a blow to the side of my head,' Ms Purcell told 'My girls had got out and were standing there screaming.' A passing car might have saved her life. She flagged it down only to realise it was a member of her ex-husband's family. Her attacker fled, leaving a window of opportunity for her to collect the children and drive to safety. 'As I was driving home, I didn't actually realise the extent of my injuries but I could feel something warm and wet dripping down my body. When I got home, I looked down and was literally covered in blood. Her ex-husband was convicted over the assault and jailed for nine months with a non-parole period of just four. According to court documents seen by the ABC, the man has 'an extensive history of violent offending including domestic violence offences and personal violence offences.' An apprehended domestic violence order (ADVO) was taken out in July of 2023. In 50 days, it expires. Ms Purcell says that with the help of police she hopes to get the extension granted. She says it should be for an indefinite period to adequately protect her. has approached NSW Police for comment. 'The ongoing fear I live in' On social media, Ms Purcell is speaking up. She is sharing the graphic images of her injuries from the night in March, 2023, as well as pictures of the aftermath of other acts of violence inside her home. On one image showing a freezer door ripped off its hinges and a hole in a timber door, she writes: 'After his measly 5 month sentence and he was released from jail, I was offered the decision of (him) having an ankle monitor. It was only active for the remaining 4 months of his sentence. The day that ended, my anxiety was through the roof.' Speaking to Ms Purcell said the decision to speak up and show the reality of domestic violence was not an easy one. But it was important. 'I did that for my family and my kids but also for all women of Australia and all women that have died since last year,' she said. 'I'm speaking out for my daughters and their daughters and all future women of Australia. Not many women speak out or show their face. I was also discouraged from doing that. 'But I just thought, you know what, I need to speak up. I just wanted to highlight the flaws in the system and show people why women are dying. It is not going to stop until there is real change.' Part of that change is explored in a petition Ms Purcell titled: Protect Women and Children: Demand for Stronger Domestic Violence Laws & Penalties. 'Too many women and children are being failed by a broken system,' she writes in the petition. 'So far this year 28 women have been killed in Australia, 131 women have been killed since the 1st of January 2024. These aren't just numbers, they are people. They are mothers, daughters and sisters.'
ABC News
27-05-2025
- Health
- ABC News
This victim-survivor is fighting for her safety after her perpetrator's release from jail
Less than a year after Rhiannon Purcell's ex-husband was released from jail after violently assaulting her, he breached an apprehended domestic violence order (ADVO). WARNING: This story contains descriptions of violence and injuries that readers may find distressing. If you need help immediately call emergency services on triple-0 Now she is fighting to extend the ADVO after being told authorities could no longer help protect her from the man who put her in hospital. She feels NSW Police and the courts have only let her down. "It's disgusting … it's just not good enough," Ms Purcell said. She was with her ex-husband for 15 years and the pair have four children together. Ms Purcell claims the abuse began just one year into their relationship. "It started with little things, like controlling what I could wear, where I could go, things like that … and then it progressed to the verbal abuse and then physical abuse, financial abuse," she said. Ms Purcell said she finally decided to leave "when my children became the targets of his abuse". Even after leaving, she said her ex-husband continued to control and abuse her. One evening in March 2023, Ms Purcell drove to her ex-husband's family's home to pick up their youngest children. "He turned all of the outside lights off as he came out of the house … he jumped in the car with me," she said. According to court documents, he grabbed her phone off her before attacking her. "I got out of the car and I started running down the street. "He chased me and pushed me to the ground and was kicking me while I was on the ground." Family members who witnessed the attack managed to pull him off her and Ms Purcell was able to escape. "I didn't know the extent of my injuries until I was driving home and I could just feel warm blood just dripping from my head," she said. "My kids were so distraught and terrified. I had to get my scalp stapled back together." Hospital staff called police, who convinced her to make a statement. "They told me that I would be protected," she said. Her ex-husband was convicted over the assault and sentenced to nine months in jail with a non-parole period of just four months. Ms Purcell claims police discouraged her from reporting any previous abuse against her and the children during their marriage because there was not enough evidence. According to court documents, the man has "an extensive history of violent offending including domestic violence offences and personal violence offences". He was released from jail in late 2023 and a two-year ADVO was in place to protect Ms Purcell, which prohibited him contacting or going near her. But in mid-2024, Ms Purcell's ex-husband turned up at their son's football game, approaching their young children and standing just 1 metre away from her. "So after the game I drove straight to the police station, let them know there had been a breach. "They told me that it wasn't a breach because he had approached my [children] … but he hadn't spoken to me." Outraged by the lack of support from police, Ms Purcell posted on social media about her case. The post gained some traction after it was shared by her sister, media identity and writer Rosie Waterland. Ms Purcell believes this is the only reason police changed their minds about charging her ex-husband for breaching the ADVO. "I felt like it was only because of the social media post … they didn't care that I was unsafe and I was fearful, it was just that they looked bad," she said. The man pleaded guilty to the breach but was spared more jail time and instead handed a community corrections order. Now the ADVO is set to expire in July and Ms Purcell has been fighting to have it extended. She was told police will not apply to the court on her behalf for an extension and she would instead have to make the application herself or hire a private lawyer. "Now it's left me feeling really, really unsafe, my kids are scared," she said. "I just think if I can't get an extension to an AVO with a person that has put me in hospital, was convicted and did jail time … breached the AVO, has numerous violent offences in the past, then who can get their AVO extended?" After being contacted by ABC News, NSW Police have since contacted Ms Purcell and agreed to "support a new application" to extend the ADVO. "Where appropriate, police will seek to extend a current AVO or make a new application if there has been a continuation of offending and/or behaviour or new incidents have occurred," a NSW Police spokesperson said in a statement. "Given the circumstances of this matter, police would support a new application and the Bankstown Domestic and Family Violence Liaison Officer have contacted the person in need of protection to discuss the options," the statement said. Ms Purcell said she fears for other victims who feel let down by police and the courts in their fight to stay safe. Attorney-General Michael Daley said "the duration of an ADVO is determined by the court for as long as is necessary to ensure the safety and protection of the victim-survivor". "The NSW Government is always looking at ways the law can be improved to better protect victim-survivors of domestic and family violence," the statement said. According to domestic and family violence advocates, Ms Purcell's is not an isolated case. "Some [police] officers do it fantastically well and have a really nuanced and innate understanding of domestic and family violence and the complexity that sits around that, but unfortunately that's not every officer," Domestic Violence NSW senior policy and advocacy officer Angie Gehle said. Women's Legal Service NSW principal solicitor Pip Davis agreed cases like Ms Purcell's were "fairly common" and caused a "big access to justice issue". "I can only imagine given those hurdles, there are people that just drop off because it's too hard and the consequence is that they continue with an AVO that isn't as protective as it should be or one that has ceased, and they're unprotected," she said. Ms Gehle said there needed to be a "whole of systems" change to move away from "reactive policing" and focus on preventing domestic violence incidents. "DV NSW has been advocating for several years for at least a 50 per cent increase to baseline funding for domestic and family violence specialist services across NSW and we're still waiting," she said. Ms Gehle identified a pilot program being run in 10 NSW Police area commands placing a Women's Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Service (WDVCAS) worker inside the station. She said the program was "working really well", but the government was yet to commit to extending its funding or expanding the program. In a statement, Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention Minister Jodie Harrison said she would not "pre-empt the NSW budget" due to be handed down next month. "The NSW Government's $245.6 million budget for 2024/25 provided $24 million over four years to allow WDVCAS to deliver more intensive support to victim-survivors and help keep up with increasing demand for their services," the statement said. "Preliminary feedback of the pilots was positive." For Ms Purcell, she will continue to advocate for victim-survivors. "I want things to change for women. I don't want this to just keep happening over and over again and more women just dying every week."
