A south-west woman says she'll never erase the memories of her former partner's fists digging deep into her skin as she screamed for him to stop.
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She recalled the fear and anxiety of trying to flee but being chased down and "ending right back in the arms of the very person I was running from".
The 27-year-old, who wished to remain anonymous, suffered nearly two years of horrific violence at the hands of her partner.
Kurt Stephen Sanders, 22, of Port Fairy, pleaded guilty in Warrnambool Magistrates Court to reckless conduct endangering life, recklessly causing serious injury, stalking, three counts of reckless conduct endangering serious injury and two counts of driving in a manner dangerous.
He was jailed for the 98 days he spent in custody on remand and released on Tuesday on a community corrections order.
In one incident, the man pushed her to the ground and stomped on her arm, causing her elbow to dislocate, the court heard.
The woman told The Standard she covered up her injuries and "played down what was occurring behind closed doors".
She said she was "too ashamed" to tell her family and friends.
After she ended the relationship, he followed her in his car, swerving at her while she was driving on numerous occasions, the court heard.
The woman said the violent offending left "many imprints on my life that will never be forgotten no matter how hard I try".
"And for that I am now serving my life sentence," she said.
The survivor suffers night terrors and has flashbacks of the violence that changed her life forever.
"Instead of gliding my front door open to see the yard I now hesitate and search for a shadow through the frosted glass, as I now experience vivid flashbacks of someone waiting on the other side," she said.
When the criminal proceedings began and details of the case emerged, she said she often felt like she was victim-blamed.
"Everyone asks you 'why did you do this and why didn't you do that?' Rather than questioning him and asking 'why did he do this to you?'" she said.
The woman reported the offending to police in March this year and attended every single court hearing in the months that followed.
"I was always holding back a panic attack (in court)," she said.
Fortunately, she had a "really good team" throughout the court process, she said.
That included family violence prosecutor Carolyn Howe, Detective Senior Constable Tammy Barry, of the Warrnambool police family violence investigation unit, and staff at Emma House.
"I have always felt really supported and they have helped set up a safety plan, " she said.
"Without the help of them I wouldn't have been able to get through the whole ordeal. I know I am lucky as lots of women don't have that."
The survivor said she was "grateful" the offender had been sentenced.
"I have received an outcome and that is what most women could only dream of, even if it was only 98 days," she said.
Magistrate Peter Mellas said Sanders "deserved at least a moderate penalty" for his guilty plea.
He said the plea represented the man's "acceptance" and "responsibility" for the offending.
"It also means the victim in this case is not required to come to court, she won't be cross examined and her version of events won't be tested in a way that could lead her to be further hurt and harmed," he told the court.
Sanders' corrections order will run for 15 months and will require him to do 100 hours of unpaid community work and offending behaviour programs.
The survivor said she hoped her story would encourage other women to "speak out and stand up because there is support out there".
If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au. In an emergency, call 000.
Emma House is a Warrnambool-based not-for-profit service and can be contacted through 1800 EMMADV (1800 366238) or visit emmahouse.org.au/
Safe Steps for women after hours service is available through 188 015 188.
Brophy Family and Youth Services can be contacted on 1300 BROPHY or 03 5561 8888.
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