Latest news with #VictorianCountyCourt
The Age
28-06-2025
- The Age
Emma's ex slammed her into a wall and stomped on her head. Reports like hers are increasing
Melbourne woman Emma, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, met Sikeli Lala, who migrated to Australia from Fiji, on an online dating app after the breakdown of a long-term relationship. Loading Lala, now 40, described himself as a life coach and mentor online and hosted a podcast called Feel Grateful. He quickly moved in with the now-41-year-old woman. But looking back, Emma said their relationship was marred by emotional, psychological and financial abuse and coercive control, which quickly isolated her. Their four-year romantic relationship ended in July 2023. The pair remained in contact, and on New Year's Eve of the same year they attended a party at The Continental Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula with mutual friends. Lala, who was intoxicated, began to berate Emma on the dance floor. What unfolded in the following moments was captured on CCTV and described by a senior police officer as among the worst violent assaults he had ever seen. In the hallway of the hotel after an argument, Lala grabbed Emma by the throat and slammed her into a wall. He threw her on the floor and struck her in the head, before kicking her in the abdomen twice as she lay there. He then pulled her off the floor and held her by the throat, before punching her in the face, causing her to lose consciousness. As she lay dazed on the floor, Lala jumped into the air and stomped on her head. Two men who were staying at the hotel heard her screams. Lala told the two men Emma was drunk before dragging her back to her friend's hotel room. 'All I remember is that he grabbed me by the neck and kind of pushed me against the wall, so I couldn't really breathe,' Emma said. 'I remember his eyes. They were just like black. That moment was so scary … I just remember being dragged on the floor ... then I lost consciousness.' After the brutal attack, Emma said she felt a wave of emotions, including guilt and shame, but after seeking a restraining order, she was encouraged to make a report to police. Somerville Family Violence Investigation Unit Detective Senior Constable Ross Williams, who investigated Emma's case and was crucial in getting Lala convicted, said harrowing CCTV footage captured the assault inside the hotel. Williams believes Emma is lucky to be alive. He said the footage, which was aired in the Victorian County Court, and Emma's courage in providing evidence were instrumental in Lala being jailed for nine months and given a two-year community corrections order for the assault in March this year. 'It was, quite simply, the worst footage I'd ever seen,' Williams said. 'I've reflected on how I felt at the time, and I would say, as a human I was disgusted. As a father of two daughters I was horrified. 'As a police officer, having actually seen the footage, it really motivated me to hold this person to account. It was simply disgusting.' Lala was arrested, and Williams and his colleague interviewed him about the assault. The detective said that as soon as he showed Lala the graphic CCTV footage of the incident, he told police he would plead guilty. Williams said that because of the severity of the assault, the case had always stayed with him. 'It was gratifying to know that he'd been found guilty,' he said. The detective said he had observed a troubling rise among men assaulting their former partners in recent years. 'The sadistic mindset of these people are that they need that power, they need that control of the person,' Williams said. 'When that person steps up to them and the relationship is ended ... they act out criminally.' 'I almost didn't go to the police, but I'm so glad I did, and I just want to tell other victims to just not wait,' she said. Victim Emma who was abused at hands of her ex boyfriend Emma said she was sharing her story in the hope that other women would report their abuse to police. 'I almost didn't go to the police, but I'm so glad I did, and I just want to tell other victims to just not wait,' she said. 'There are people who will believe you and support you. You deserve to feel safe. You deserve to live without fear. Taking that first step might feel terrifying, but it could save your life.' Loading Douglas said lessening social stigma in reporting family violence had led to more survivors reporting the crime, along with greater recognition of coercive control. Douglas said it was not uncommon for a former partner who had been abusive in other ways to become physically violent for the first time after a break-up. 'Some research suggests that when partners lose control of the other partner, instead of trying to regain control, they start to try to think of ways to destroy them so they might be actually more willing to use physical assault,' she said. Douglas also suspected higher number of reports to police could be linked to landmark laws enacted in Victoria last year, which make it a criminal offence to intentionally choke or strangle a person. Williams said the number of family violence incidents being reported in Victoria was 'horrific', but the one silver lining was that more victims were reporting the crime. 'Victoria Police in the time that I've been a police officer has totally changed and totally increased their education and support and resourcing into family violence for the better,' he said. 'I'd encourage any victim-survivor of family violence to come forward and speak to someone ... to come and see us because we have the resources and structures to hold these people to account, to bring them before the court and make sure that these victims' lives are safe, and their lives can be changed.' Tania Farha, chief executive of Safe and Equal – the peak body for specialist family violence services – said one of the most high-risk times for a victim-survivor was just before they leave a violent relationship and in the months afterwards. 'This is not and never will be the fault of the person leaving,' she said. 'Choosing to use violence is a deliberate decision, and this includes attempts to reassert control or take revenge against their former partner. The person using violence must always be held accountable.'
Sydney Morning Herald
28-06-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
Emma's ex slammed her into a wall and stomped on her head. Reports like hers are increasing
Melbourne woman Emma, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, met Sikeli Lala, who migrated to Australia from Fiji, on an online dating app after the breakdown of a long-term relationship. Loading Lala, now 40, described himself as a life coach and mentor online and hosted a podcast called Feel Grateful. He quickly moved in with the now-41-year-old woman. But looking back, Emma said their relationship was marred by emotional, psychological and financial abuse and coercive control, which quickly isolated her. Their four-year romantic relationship ended in July 2023. The pair remained in contact, and on New Year's Eve of the same year they attended a party at The Continental Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula with mutual friends. Lala, who was intoxicated, began to berate Emma on the dance floor. What unfolded in the following moments was captured on CCTV and described by a senior police officer as among the worst violent assaults he had ever seen. In the hallway of the hotel after an argument, Lala grabbed Emma by the throat and slammed her into a wall. He threw her on the floor and struck her in the head, before kicking her in the abdomen twice as she lay there. He then pulled her off the floor and held her by the throat, before punching her in the face, causing her to lose consciousness. As she lay dazed on the floor, Lala jumped into the air and stomped on her head. Two men who were staying at the hotel heard her screams. Lala told the two men Emma was drunk before dragging her back to her friend's hotel room. 'All I remember is that he grabbed me by the neck and kind of pushed me against the wall, so I couldn't really breathe,' Emma said. 'I remember his eyes. They were just like black. That moment was so scary … I just remember being dragged on the floor ... then I lost consciousness.' After the brutal attack, Emma said she felt a wave of emotions, including guilt and shame, but after seeking a restraining order, she was encouraged to make a report to police. Somerville Family Violence Investigation Unit Detective Senior Constable Ross Williams, who investigated Emma's case and was crucial in getting Lala convicted, said harrowing CCTV footage captured the assault inside the hotel. Williams believes Emma is lucky to be alive. He said the footage, which was aired in the Victorian County Court, and Emma's courage in providing evidence were instrumental in Lala being jailed for nine months and given a two-year community corrections order for the assault in March this year. 'It was, quite simply, the worst footage I'd ever seen,' Williams said. 'I've reflected on how I felt at the time, and I would say, as a human I was disgusted. As a father of two daughters I was horrified. 'As a police officer, having actually seen the footage, it really motivated me to hold this person to account. It was simply disgusting.' Lala was arrested, and Williams and his colleague interviewed him about the assault. The detective said that as soon as he showed Lala the graphic CCTV footage of the incident, he told police he would plead guilty. Williams said that because of the severity of the assault, the case had always stayed with him. 'It was gratifying to know that he'd been found guilty,' he said. The detective said he had observed a troubling rise among men assaulting their former partners in recent years. 'The sadistic mindset of these people are that they need that power, they need that control of the person,' Williams said. 'When that person steps up to them and the relationship is ended ... they act out criminally.' 'I almost didn't go to the police, but I'm so glad I did, and I just want to tell other victims to just not wait,' she said. Victim Emma who was abused at hands of her ex boyfriend Emma said she was sharing her story in the hope that other women would report their abuse to police. 'I almost didn't go to the police, but I'm so glad I did, and I just want to tell other victims to just not wait,' she said. 'There are people who will believe you and support you. You deserve to feel safe. You deserve to live without fear. Taking that first step might feel terrifying, but it could save your life.' Loading Douglas said lessening social stigma in reporting family violence had led to more survivors reporting the crime, along with greater recognition of coercive control. Douglas said it was not uncommon for a former partner who had been abusive in other ways to become physically violent for the first time after a break-up. 'Some research suggests that when partners lose control of the other partner, instead of trying to regain control, they start to try to think of ways to destroy them so they might be actually more willing to use physical assault,' she said. Douglas also suspected higher number of reports to police could be linked to landmark laws enacted in Victoria last year, which make it a criminal offence to intentionally choke or strangle a person. Williams said the number of family violence incidents being reported in Victoria was 'horrific', but the one silver lining was that more victims were reporting the crime. 'Victoria Police in the time that I've been a police officer has totally changed and totally increased their education and support and resourcing into family violence for the better,' he said. 'I'd encourage any victim-survivor of family violence to come forward and speak to someone ... to come and see us because we have the resources and structures to hold these people to account, to bring them before the court and make sure that these victims' lives are safe, and their lives can be changed.' Tania Farha, chief executive of Safe and Equal – the peak body for specialist family violence services – said one of the most high-risk times for a victim-survivor was just before they leave a violent relationship and in the months afterwards. 'This is not and never will be the fault of the person leaving,' she said. 'Choosing to use violence is a deliberate decision, and this includes attempts to reassert control or take revenge against their former partner. The person using violence must always be held accountable.'
Sydney Morning Herald
27-06-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
Former student sues Caulfield Grammar over alleged boiling water attack
A former Caulfield Grammar student claims the school did not discipline a pupil who attacked him with boiling water, leaving him with physical and mental injuries that 'changed the trajectory' of his life. The now-20-year-old is suing the Melbourne private school after another student at the Wheelers Hill campus allegedly used a metal water bottle to pour the boiling water over his face and head in November 2019. In court documents filed to the Victorian County Court, the former student, who has spoken to The Age on the condition of anonymity, claims the school was aware the other boy 'engaged in threatening and dangerous behaviour'. The alleged victim, who was 15 at the time, also claims the school knew or should have known he was at 'risk of foreseeable harm'. After being hospitalised for his injuries, he then had to repeat year 10 and did non-scored VCE in 2020, he said. 'What happened to me wasn't an accident; it wasn't a misunderstanding. It was an act of cruelty, and I was the target,' he said in a statement through his lawyer, Aristea Nikolakakis from Shine Lawyers. 'The physical pain was horrible, but the emotional damage has stayed with me far longer.' The former student said he suffers from severe post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the attack and his burns react adversely to sun exposure. 'What made it worse was how the school handled it. Because I was new, and because people didn't know me yet, the teachers automatically assumed I was the one at fault,' he said.
The Age
27-06-2025
- The Age
Former student sues Caulfield Grammar over alleged boiling water attack
A former Caulfield Grammar student claims the school did not discipline a pupil who attacked him with boiling water, leaving him with physical and mental injuries that 'changed the trajectory' of his life. The now-20-year-old is suing the Melbourne private school after another student at the Wheelers Hill campus allegedly used a metal water bottle to pour the boiling water over his face and head in November 2019. In court documents filed to the Victorian County Court, the former student, who has spoken to The Age on the condition of anonymity, claims the school was aware the other boy 'engaged in threatening and dangerous behaviour'. The alleged victim, who was 15 at the time, also claims the school knew or should have known he was at 'risk of foreseeable harm'. After being hospitalised for his injuries, he then had to repeat year 10 and did non-scored VCE in 2020, he said. 'What happened to me wasn't an accident; it wasn't a misunderstanding. It was an act of cruelty, and I was the target,' he said in a statement through his lawyer, Aristea Nikolakakis from Shine Lawyers. 'The physical pain was horrible, but the emotional damage has stayed with me far longer.' The former student said he suffers from severe post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the attack and his burns react adversely to sun exposure. 'What made it worse was how the school handled it. Because I was new, and because people didn't know me yet, the teachers automatically assumed I was the one at fault,' he said.
Hindustan Times
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Girl, 11, sexually abused after adding strangers on Snapchat to win challenge
An innocent childhood challenge took a tragic turn when an 11-year-old Australian girl, eager to boost her Snapchat score in a friendly rivalry with her best friend, added several strangers to her account. One of the 'Quick Adds' went on to sexually abuse her, reported The Guardian. In 2023, the girl and her friend were trying to reach a 'Snap score' of 1,00,000 points when she befriended then-23-year-old Jai Clapp. He claimed to be 17 years of age. The man sexually abused 'April' (a pseudonym used in The Guardian's report) during three separate encounters at a local park in her hometown. The 'Snap score' is a number on Snapchat that shows how active someone is. You can increase it by sending and receiving photos or videos (called snaps), and adding more people to your friend list. 'April' added the man on Snapchat using the 'Quick add' feature in the app that suggests users you could add based on the app algorithm. After being added, Clapp began grooming the girl over a period of 12 days. He was later convicted of multiple offences, including 'digital' and 'penile penetration'. The 23-year-old pleaded guilty and was sentenced for the abuse of April and another girl for eight years and 10 months in prison. With a non-parole period of four years and eight months. Details of the case were outlined in a Victorian County Court sentencing, accessed by The Guardian. Australia has passed landmark legislation that will ban children under the age of 16 from using social media platforms, making it the strictest law of its kind globally, reported news agency AP. TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Reddit, and X (formerly Twitter) will be held accountable for systemic failures to block underage users. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the law aims to protect children from the "harms" of social media, a concern widely shared by parent advocacy groups.
