A woman with cerebral palsy has told a royal commission she was raped and beaten by a paid personal carer she met on Tinder, who strangled her and threatened to kill her if she disclosed the abuse.
The woman, known by the pseudonym Chloe, said the man began caring for her in 2016 and subjected her to repeated physical and sexual assaults. She said he beat her from 'head to foot' and kicked her in the belly after she returned a positive pregnancy test, killing the unborn child.
'He had his bad face for me and his good face for everyone else,' Chloe said in a statement read to the disability royal commission in Hobart. 'He treated me like a dog. There were so many rapes and physical assaults it was awful.'
The commission heard the man was charged with multiple counts of rape, grievous bodily harm, torture and assault, but was found not guilty at trial. Chloe said she now struggles to trust anyone and fears being in her own home.
Evidence presented to the commission revealed that nearly half of all women with a disability experience physical violence in their lifetime, compared to 27% of women without disability. Two in five women with disability also face emotional abuse and controlling behaviours from partners.
