My daughter Ashlee and I had always been close friends as well as mother and daughter.
One of my favourite memories was travelling around Australia for a year and a half with her when she was 10 years old. We would sleep in a tent and eat rice for dinner when money got tight; it really bonded us.
But now Ashlee was 17 and had started to act distant with me.
I thought I knew the reason why. Recently, she’d started seeing a man called Jimmy Akuhata, who was seven years older than her.
She didn’t tell me much about him but I was horrified when I heard through friends he had a violent reputation.
‘He’s been nothing but nice to me,’ Ashlee protested when I brought it up with her.
I asked her if I could meet him to judge for myself, but although she promised I could, plans never seemed to materialise.
I grew really concerned when she started missing days at her bakery job. Before meeting Jimmy, she had worked every hour she could as she was saving up to train to be a chef; her ultimate ambition was to one day work on a superyacht.
It wasn’t like her to miss days, and I knew somehow that Jimmy – who did not have a job, let alone any ambition – was behind it.
Travelling around Australia for 18 months with my daughter Ashlee (pictured) remains one of my happiest memories
When Ashlee met Jimmy, who was seven years older than her, she became distant
But the more I pressed Ashlee about the relationship, the more she withdrew. I didn’t want to lose her, so tried my best to be supportive in the hope she would see the light and break up with him soon.
Eventually, she called with the news she was pregnant.
Despite the knowledge I’d soon have my first grandchild, my heart sank.
I just didn’t think Jimmy would make much of a father.
By the time Ashlee gave birth to her daughter, I still hadn’t met Jimmy. Nevertheless, I was besotted with my granddaughter.
One day when I went to see Ashlee and the baby, I noticed she was caked in makeup. I mentioned it to my mum, who’d been there for the visit too.
‘It’s covering a black eye,’ she told me. ‘I asked Ashlee about it and she said she’d walked into a cupboard door.’
I didn’t believe it for a second. Jimmy was behind it.
Once again, I tried to talk to my daughter, but couldn’t get through to her. ‘He’s the father of my child,’ she reasoned.
Ashlee had lodged two complaints with the police but no action was taken
A few months later, Jimmy went too far while bashing her. He was arrested and Ashlee finally saw sense, taking out a court order against him.
It was such a relief.
But somehow, months later, he managed to worm his way back in.
From then on, their relationship followed the same pattern: Jimmy would hurt Ashlee, she’d kick him out, he’d beg to come back, and eventually she’d let him.
Over and over. It was exhausting, not to mention terrifying. The beatings were getting more severe.
When Ashlee was pregnant with their second child, Jimmy carried out yet another violent assault, landing himself back in prison. He was released on home detention under strict conditions not to contact Ashlee, but he broke them by sending hundreds of threatening texts.
When Ashlee’s second daughter was a few months old, she finally said: ‘Enough is enough.’
She lodged two complaints with the police about Jimmy breaching his order but no action was taken.
Regardless, this time she seemed steadfast in her decision to try to keep him away from her and the children.
A couple of days later, I was watching the news when my blood ran cold. A body had been found in the river close to where Ashlee lived.
Then my mother rang, in tears. ‘Someone just called me to say they were sorry to hear Ashlee had drowned,’ she cried.
Hanging up, I called the police.
My knees buckled as they confirmed they believed the body was Ashlee and were currently looking for Jimmy.
He’d done this to her! Why hadn’t they listened to her complaints about him?
While police arrested Jimmy, I went to see Ashlee at the hospital chapel.
‘I’m so sorry I couldn’t protect you,’ I sobbed.
I was so scared they were going to try to take her body away that I asked the grave digger to fill in the hole immediately
There was more heartache to come. As I planned Ashlee’s funeral, someone told me Jimmy’s family wanted to bury her in their family plot so Jimmy could be buried alongside her someday.
‘No way in hell,’ I said. ‘He killed her.’
The body was soon moved from the morgue to the funeral home. But the day before the funeral, the undertaker called me saying that Jimmy’s family were coming to take Ashlee’s body. I rushed there to stop them.
‘You’re not having her,’ I screamed.
They turned up at the actual burial too. They had a big estate car parked out the front of the service. I was so scared they were going to try to take her body away that I asked the grave digger to fill in the hole immediately.
How much more hell could Jimmy and his family put me through?
Thankfully, Jimmy pleaded guilty to Ashlee’s murder, meaning we didn’t have to endure a full trial.
We were able to hear the findings of the police investigation though. We were told Jimmy had lured Ashlee to a nightclub with VIP tickets and they got into a fight.
Then, in the early hours of the following morning, as they crossed a bridge, he’d thrown her over the side, before running down the bank to hold her under the water.
It was pure evil.
Jimmy was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 15 years. Thanks to time served since his arrest, he’ll be eligible for parole in just two years’ time.
I’ll fight it.
Since he was jailed, the police admitted their response to Ashlee’s complaints about Jimmy had been poorly managed and grossly inadequate.
It was too late to save my daughter.
