A Warrawong woman attacked by her ex-husband on Mother’s Day has told a court the day of celebration will never be the same for her ever again.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Eliseo Piedade Arvela, 50, was jailed for 18 months last Friday after confessing to entering the woman’s home, grabbing her by the throat and threatening to throw her off the second-storey balcony.
In a victim impact statement tendered to Wollongong District Court, the woman said the incident had forever changed her life.
“The memories of what happened that night are never not with me,” she said.
“Mother’s Day will never be the same for me. I experienced a type of terror and fear I have never felt before.
“My life has been forever changed by domestic violence. Am I a victim? No, I’m a survivor.”
Court documents said the pair had been married for 25 years but split earlier this year and an apprehended violence order was put in place preventing Arvela from going within 100 metres of his ex-wife's house.
His actions were not actions of love, they were actions of violence, control and hate.
However, Arvela broke the condition by arriving at the woman's house just before 9.30pm on May 13 and calling out to her to let him inside.
The woman contacted police when Arvela moved to the rear of the house and smashed a glass door.
He then came back around to the front of the house and kicked at it until it gave way.
The woman told police she ran to the balcony and screamed for help, at which time her ex-husband grabbed her around the neck and pushed her towards the railing while telling her “I will throw you over the edge”.
A witness who saw the incident on the balcony unfold called out to Arvela who told him to “f--k off” before retreating into the house.
Officers arrived a short time later to find Arvela still inside the home.
He was arrested and charged with aggravated break and enter, assault, property damage of intimidation offences as well as contravening the AVO.
He admitted in an interview to being under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident.
In court on Friday, Arvela admitted he’d drunk a large amount of alcohol that day – as was his custom every day – and couldn’t remember what he’d done.
When parts of the woman’s victim statement were read out to him in court, Arvela responded by saying “I love that woman”.
“Then why did you do this to her?” presiding judge Andrew Haesler asked him.
“I don’t know,” Arvela responded.
The court heard Arvela had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder in the past, and Judge Haesler accepted his mental instability somewhat reduced his moral culpability.
However, he said Arvel’a actions that day had caused his ex-wife serious, ongoing harm.
“His actions were not actions of love, they were actions of violence, control and hate.”
Judge Haesler imposed a maximum prison sentence of of three years. With time served, Arvela will be eligible for parole in November 2019.
Sign up to our newsletters
