After fleeing home with baby during ex-husband's abuse, woman received pipe bomb, napalm threats

CONTENT WARNING: This article refers to family violence.

The terror and abuse inflicted by a woman’s ex-husband forced her to flee her home with just one bag of belongings, leaving her, their young child and their two-week-old baby homeless.

The man, who is aged in his late 40s but legally can’t be named, was arrested and pleaded guilty to 10 charges before she faced him in the ACT Magistrates Court earlier this week, saying she was “desperate” to have her voice heard.

“In your messages, you said there will be no winners, only losers. And you’re right, there are only losers here today,” she told him.

“Believe me, I never wanted to report you. I never wanted you to get arrested.

“I tried so hard to deescalate, but you left me no choice.”

The man’s campaign of domestic violence lasted six months over 2024, starting after he had begun a new relationship with a different person, court documents say.

On the afternoon of Australia Day 2024, the woman was standing in her driveway when she saw her ex-husband accelerate along the road in his car, driving towards her and forcing her to jump out of the way to avoid being hit.

He then got out of his car and pushed her to the ground as she tried to run inside her garage, telling her, “If this [new] relationship breaks up over this, I’ll kill you”.

In March, he sent her a photo showing him burning a family violence order that had been made against him.

Then from March to July, he sent her hundreds of text messages to her phone, many of a threatening and controlling nature.

For example, the below texts were sent over just half an hour.

“I’ve made 3lt of napalm just for you,” he said.

“You only have two to choose from, unless you want me to tip napalm on you and then set you alight.”

“I f-ing hate you and want you dead.”

He then sent her a video of an object exploding in her backyard and made several threats to kill her.

A few days later, the man sent the woman a photo that appeared to show a pipe bomb as well as the line, “A gift for you”.

Later that same night, he threatened to send intimate photos of her to her family.

The woman told the court she fled her home because he had made her house “unsafe”.

She said there was “nothing more heart-breaking” than explaining to their child why they hadn’t seen their father and why they couldn’t return to their home.

“The never-ending nature of your threats brought fear into every aspect of my life,” she said.

“I feel like I’m serving a life sentence.

“There won’t be any closures for me in terms of these court proceedings.”

Despite the abuse her ex-husband inflicted on her, the woman still asked the court to sentence him in a way that promoted his rehabilitation.

This would mean she could tell their child that they could see their father again, she said.

The man was arrested in July 2024 and spent almost eight months in custody before he faced the Magistrates Court for sentencing.

Magistrate James Lawton said the man had made a “foolish” decision to use illicit substances every day around the time of offending.

“That illicit drug use exacerbated his mental health and led to the commission of these offences,” he said.

Magistrate Lawton took into account the time the man had already spent in custody, his guilty pleas and the steps he had taken to address his substance use while in custody.

The man was sentenced to two-and-a-half years’ jail to be served by an ICO, during which he will be supervised by authorities, allowing him to leave custody immediately.

The woman watched his sentencing from the courtroom’s gallery, but stood up and walked out after she heard he would be released from custody that day.

The man was convicted of charges that included assault, dangerous driving, using a carriage service to harass, threatening to inflict grievous bodily harm as well as threatening to distribute an intimate image.

If this story has raised any concerns for you, 1800RESPECT, the national 24-hour sexual assault, family and domestic violence counselling line, can be contacted on 1800 737 732. Help and support are also available through the Canberra Rape Crisis Centre on 02 6247 2525, the Domestic Violence Crisis Service ACT 02 6280 0900, the Sexual Violence Legal Services on 6257 4377 and Lifeline on 13 11 14. In an emergency, call Triple Zero.