My name is Nadal, and I am a single mother to a 2-year-old son. This petition is to support my fight for justice. I am seeking to compel WESTGATE SOCIT to apply to the magistrates' court for a warrant to seize and search the phone of the perpetrator, investigate, and formally question him regarding the allegations against him.

I discovered that my son was being sexually abused by the perpetrator and I suspect the abuse began when he was as young as one month old. Two weeks after I uncovered the abuse, my life was threatened by the perpetrator, who has a brother incarcerated for murder. As a result, I was forced to go into hiding for six weeks.

On December 19th, 2023, I picked up my son and recorded a conversation with the perpetrator, where I asked him about the location of a photo he had sent me on December 17th. In the photo, the background appears to be a medical centre. He also followed up with a message asking for my son's Medicare details, something he has never requested before.

In the audio, he pretends not to remember the photo and even says he needs to see it again in order to recall it. When I show him the photo, he still claims not to remember it but insists that he is certain it wasn’t a medical centre.

I drove home and recorded a video of my son, who was asleep, only to notice a slimy substance in his mouth when he first began to cry. The timestamp on the video is 6:40 PM. A photo of my parking ticket shows that I arrived at the Royal Children’s Hospital at 7:18 PM. While waiting to be seen, I noticed a SMELL of SEMEN on my son and mentioned it to the triage nurses. However, all I was told was, "We’ll take his temperature and send you to the waiting room while you wait for a doctor."

While waiting to see the doctor, my son began to cry. I didn’t have a bottle with me, so I asked a nurse in the waiting area for a cup of milk, and I was given milk in a small plastic cup. Three hours later, I was finally seen by a doctor. I told her about the SMELL of SEMEN on my son and informed her that I had mentioned it to the triage nurses when I first arrived. I also mentioned that on two separate occasions, I had found specks of BLOOD in the first nappy I changed after picking up my son, even though the nappy only contained urine.

The doctor physically examined my son and determined that he wasn’t sexually abused. I decided to show her the video I took, which showed the SLIMY substance in his mouth, but she showed little interest. I then asked her to swab his mouth and send it for forensic testing, but she refused, citing the fact that I had given him milk. I had to beg her to take the swab, which she eventually did, only to return five minutes later and tell me they had decided not to test it because I had given him milk. I begged her again to run the tests, but she firmly refused and even threw the swab in the bin right in front of me.

On Christmas Day, I flew to Brisbane to attend my dad’s funeral on December 29th, and returned to Melbourne on December 31st. During this time, I was messaging the perpetrator, but he completely went MIA. Later, he contacted my sister and told her that I was "mentally losing it" and accusing him of touching my son.

On January 1st, I exposed the abuse that my son and I endured at the hands of the perpetrator to his family and friends. Thirty minutes later, after two weeks of him being MIA, I received a call from him. I asked him why my son’s mouth SMELT like SEMEN, and all he could say was, "I was losing it." He then threatened to kill me repeatedly, stating that he knew where I lived, and I already had an IVO in place because of a previous assault, where he also accidentally punched my then 3-month-old son, and I was forced to seek refuge at my neighbour's house at 1 a.m.

I was so worried for my safety that I called 000 and drove to my local police station to seek protection. I was then connected with an organisation called Safe Steps and placed in a hotel for a total of six weeks. Since then, I have been fighting for an application to be made to the magistrates' court, where a judge can review the evidence, I’ve gathered and decide whether it’s enough to approve a warrant.

I contacted WESTGATE SOCIT on December 19th, before picking up my son, and spoke to Detective Senior Constable Carney. He told me that “nothing can be done with just an intuition” and dismissed me.

I spoke to Detective Carney again on February 16th, where I informed him about the audio recording, the screenshot of the SLIMY substance, my parking ticket, and my statement to the triage nurses regarding SMELLING SEMEN. He then asked me if I had any other males around my son during that timeframe and questioned how I would know how long SEMEN lasts in the mouth, completely disregarding my statement that I had actually SMELT it on him.

I asked if I could come see him to show my evidence, but he replied, "That won’t be necessary." I then had to beg him for his email address, to which he sighed loudly before giving it to me. I emailed him all the evidence and waited for a response.

On February 29th, I called WESTGATE SOCIT again to enquire about how I could make a formal complaint, as I felt I was being ignored.

I spoke with Detective Sergeant Hyndman, who was the supervisor at the time. He listened to my story and agreed that the perpetrator SHOULD be INVESTIGATED. He promised to apply for a warrant through the magistrates’ court but made it clear he couldn’t promise it would be approved. I told him that I wouldn’t argue with a judge, but I just wanted to know I had done everything I could. I fully trusted him to keep his word because he genuinely showed concern and understanding.

On April 12th, I emailed him for an update but received no response. I then contacted WESTGATE SOCIT again on April 22nd, only to find out that Detective Hyndman had taken long service leave, had not applied for the warrant, and had failed to update my file with the evidence I had provided.

I then spoke with Acting Sergeant Ryan, where I had to tell my story all over again. He told me there wasn’t enough evidence and referred me to a link to apply for an IVO, even though he knew I already had one in place due to my life being threatened four months prior. Matthew stated that my case was closed, but he had updated my file with the evidence I provided, and it would be held in Victoria Police records.

Since then, I have attended court, where the perpetrator was charged with threats to kill.

In May 2024, the perpetrator and his wife attempted to take out IVOs against me in an effort to silence me. His wife claimed I kept calling her on No Caller ID, verbally abusing her, and that she feared for her life. However, I changed my number after the perpetrator threatened my life and have never met or spoken to his wife on the phone. In his IVO application, he claimed I was posting about him on social media, which was true. However, he also noted that the last time he saw my son was December 19th, 2023.

I found this strange because, on that same day, I had questioned him about the photo he sent me two days prior, and he claimed he couldn’t remember it. So how is it that, five months later, he remembers the date?

Additionally, in the IVO, he provided the police with my name, my new number (which I assume he got from my sister), and for my date of birth, he listed my son's date of birth. I'm born on November 9th, and my son’s birthday is November 19th. There’s no way this could have been a mistake.

In July 2024, I emailed my evidence, along with screenshots of my emails with Carney, Hydman and Ryan, to Child Protection, informing them that he would be around another INNOCENT CHILD. However, Child Protection never responded to my concerns.

I decided to file complaints with the Police Conduct Unit and the Independent Broad-based Anti-Corruption Commission (IBAC), which investigates corruption within Victoria Police. Unfortunately, both agencies dismissed my complaint, stating that they found no wrongdoing in how WESTGATE SOCIT handled my case. However, IBAC also acknowledged that they did not dispute I had valid reasons to question the perpetrator’s CHARACTER. Despite this, IBAC chose not to refer my case back to WESTGATE SOCIT and dismissed my complaint entirely.

It’s been 12 months, and I’ve been fighting what currently feels like a losing battle. I live in constant fear for my son’s and my own safety, as well as for any potential VICTIM who might encounter him. I understand that a lot of time has passed, and the search might turn up empty. However, I’m aware that the chances of him having recorded the abuse are high. I just want to be given a fair shot, for WESTGATE SOCIT to keep their word and to be able to look at my son peacefully, knowing I fought for him and truly gave it my all.

If you’ve made it this far, I genuinely thank you for taking the time to hear my story. I pray you will take a few minutes to sign this petition and support my fight for justice for my son.