In short:
Domestic and sexual violence survivor Kellie Franklin has delivered an impact statement in court, confronting the former partner who raped and tormented her.
asserted
who → deliver → her
Joshua Armstrong-Leckstrom was found guilty of four counts of rape and two counts of aggravated assault causing harm, and also pleaded guilty to a further two counts of aggravated assault.
What's next?
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What → find → assault
He will return to court next month.
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He → return → court
A domestic and sexual violence survivor has bravely confronted her attacker in court, labelling him a monster for the damage he had inflicted on her body and her life.
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he → confront → body
Kellie Franklin stood at the lectern in South Australia's District Court and detailed how her former partner, Joshua Armstrong-Leckstrom, had raped and tormented her during a regime of harm spanning more than six years, between 2018 and 2023.
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partner → stand → 2018
In her victim impact statement, she outlined the mental and emotional damage, including ongoing night and day terrors, and hyper-vigilance which was "off the charts".
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which → outline → charts
"I will never work again, or walk alone again," she said.
"
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she → work → ?
I would like to see Josh behind bars for the rest of my life, however long that may be.
uncertain
that → like → life
"I won't let you be the end of my story and when I walk out that door today, I will be striving to be better and happier … to live a less fearful life because the monster you are is behind bars."
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you → let → bars
Ms Franklin told the court her many injuries included facial fractures, a hematoma in her chest and cigarette burns "so clear on my skin" which remained "a constant reminder of the torture" the 42-year-old inflicted upon her.
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old → tell → her
She said Armstrong-Leckstrom had instilled such fear, she made the heartbreaking decision to exclude her children from her life in a bid to keep them safe.
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she → say → them
Outside court, she said standing up to her abuser and holding him accountable meant "everything".
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him → say → everything
"Today was me empowering myself and making myself worthy," she said.
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she → empower → myself
"It was the most scariest thing I've ever had to do in my life, but it was worth it.
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it → have → life
Attacker punched her cancer injury
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Attacker → punch → injury
She said that she did not want other women "to be broken like me", and that her experience had prompted her to create a free safety app to help other domestic violence victims document their abuse.
"
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victims → say → abuse
To me, it was more about making an impact in this world, not letting him be my end story, not letting DV be my story," she said.
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she → make → world
"I want my story to be me, and making changes for other women and as much as I can, I will."
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I → want → women
At trial earlier this year, Armstrong-Leckstrom was found guilty of four counts of rape and two counts of aggravated assault causing harm.
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Leckstrom → find → harm
He also pleaded guilty to a further two counts of aggravated assault.
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He → plead → assault
The court heard the abuse occurred while she was also battling cancer and included an instance where Armstrong-Leckstrom punched her at the site of her mastectomy.
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Leckstrom → hear → mastectomy
A prosecutor told the court other instances of assault included a siege at Ingle Farm in 2018, when STAR Group officers negotiated with Armstrong-Leckstrom and rescued Ms Franklin from a bedroom.
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officers → tell → bedroom
Another incident involved him repeatedly striking her feet with a hammer and a book.
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him → involve → hammer
Throughout the hearing, Armstrong-Leckstrom stared at Ms Franklin.
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Leckstrom → star → Franklin
Judge Anthony Allen said that Armstong-Leckstrom, who has been in custody since September 2023, had multiple chances to pause and reflect on his behaviour and "cease and desist" during various earlier stints he had spent behind bars.
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he → say → bars
"Rather than take that opportunity he has simply returned to almost precisely the form of dreadful behaviour that he found himself in custody for in the first place,"he said.
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he → take → place,"he
Armstrong-Leckstrom returns to court for another pre-sentence hearing next month.
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Leckstrom → return → hearing
The Aporia