A man has been jailed for a crime so evil his sentence is an Australian first. It barely made the news.

Content warning: This story includes descriptions of domestic abuse that may be distressing to some readers.

One of the first things the young mother — scarred, shaking and with two black eyes — said to police when they found her cowering in a bathroom, was that it was 'all her fault'. 

Her husband, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had committed acts of violence and coercive control so severe over the preceding three years that he would eventually be convicted of the rare Commonwealth offence of causing a person to enter into or remain in servitude.

Under Australian Commonwealth law, servitude, as defined within Division 270 of the Criminal Code, is "criminalised as a slavery-like practice, punishable by imprisonment, and includes the condition of a person who is not free to stop providing services or leave the place where they provide services."

AAP reports that the man pleaded guilty to the offence in the Victorian Supreme Court, along with two counts of assault, where Justice Jane Dixon sentenced him for up to 12 years in jail.

"As well as being subjected to regular violent assaults, she was deprived of personal freedom and liberty in almost every aspect of her life," Justice Dixon said during sentencing.

"The aggravated servitude in the present case involved a regime of extraordinary cruelty and tyranny perpetrated over a lengthy period."

The court heard that since 2020, the husband refused to allow his wife to seek medical care alone, even after she became pregnant. She was not permitted to use the toilet alone or attend university, and was forced to transfer all her money to him. He would leave the house to socialise, but locked his wife and their baby in a room while he did so, forcing her to send him videos to prove she was still imprisoned while he was out. 

When she failed to perform domestic duties such as cooking and laundry to her husband's standards, he beat her with poles, belts and cords. He called this "giving her consequences."

Watch: What is coercive control? Post continues after video.

When police finally arrested the man after the woman sent a video of her injuries to her mother, he told them "she was asking for it".

Over 150 videos were submitted as evidence in the case, with Justice Dixon deeming them "too graphic" to show the public. The court also heard evidence of the man's abuse of his child, who was imprisoned alongside the mother, and on at least one occasion had a belt tied around the neck and tightened until she cried.

And yet this shocking tale has barely made headlines. A mention here and there, but a woman was imprisoned by her husband for years, suffering daily abuse.

From a media standpoint, the story can be a difficult one to make people care about without the touchpoints that help contextualise a horror like this. 

None of the parties have been identified. 

There are no pictures to share. 

No quotes to print. 

But the fact that we don't know this woman's name, or that of her abuser, shouldn't stop this story from being told.

That men's violence against women is a runaway train in Australian society is, horrifically, nothing new. 

Women's bodies pile up in this country at a rate of more than one per week. Last year, according to vital research by advocacy group Destroy The Joint's project Counting Dead Women, 80 women were allegedly killed by men. 

For the vast number killed by intimate partners, coercive control, violence and financial abuse were part of the pattern of abuse in the lead-up to their murder. 

Listen to The Quicky discuss this historic DV verdict. Post continues below.

If we don't bring cases like this out into the light — cases that highlight potentially new ways in which the law can tackle what has become this generation's greatest scourge and cases that bring into the light what so many are subjected to behind closed doors — then we may as well give up entirely. 

Breanna Farrell, Family Law Associate at national all-services law firm, Attwood Marshall Lawyers, said cases like this can do a lot to move the conversation forward when it comes to prosecuting domestic violence.

"This case really casts a light over what coercive control can look like at the more extreme end of the scale," she explained, "and cases such as this really highlight why there is significant push to codify and criminalise coercive control as a standalone offence.

"Cases such as this one emphasise that domestic violence does not have to be 'a single act or incidence'. What we are recognising as time goes on, is that domestic violence can be a continuing pattern of behaviour that can escalate in severity and frequency over time."

Farrell says that while it's early to predict what the implications of the Australia-first sentencing might be, she expects to see "enlivened discussions about how similar abuse cases in the domestic and family violence and criminal law sector are determined in the future, Australia-wide." 

"Perhaps this case will enliven further talks on Coercive Control and whether there is scope for it to be implemented as a standalone criminal offence in more States and Territories across Australia," she added.

And this is why it is so crucial that we talk about this case.

Albeit slowly and in infuriatingly small ways, we're collecting more tools as a society to battle men's violence against women. 

In 2024, New South Wales became the first Australian jurisdiction to criminalise coercive control, with the offence commencing on July 1st, 2024, followed by Queensland criminalising it, which will make it an offence as of May 26 this year. Other states are considering similar measures.

Also in New South Wales, new offences have been introduced to strengthen support for victim-survivors, including harsher penalties for breaching an Apprehended Domestic Violence Order. 

These legislative changes are admittedly tiny flames compared to the inferno needed to go up against the behemoth of men's violence, but without our attention, those flames go out entirely. 

We don't know this victim-survivor's name, but we don't need to. We just need to make sure we stop what happened to her from continuing. 

If this has raised any issues for you, or if you just feel like you need to speak to someone, please call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) – the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service.

Mamamia is a charity partner of RizeUp Australia, a national organisation that helps women, children and families move on after the devastation of domestic and family violence. Their mission is to deliver life-changing and practical support to these families when they need it most. If you would like to support their mission you can donate here.

Feature Image: Getty.