Bjorn
Content Warning: These stories are about violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation and may include references to suicide or self-harming behaviours. They may contain graphic descriptions and strong language and may be distressing. Some narratives may be about First Nations people who have passed away. If you need support, please see Contact & support.
Bjorn is in his 40s and lives with severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Several years ago, Bjorn said, he ‘started to break down with traumatic symptoms and flashbacks which was terrifying’. For months, he couldn’t leave the unit he shares with his wife and young children.
A year later, as he began to recover, a new neighbour moved in upstairs.
‘Some time after, [he] started to harass me,’ Bjorn told the Royal Commission. ‘I had developed a stutter and if I was taking the bin out, for example, I would get some strange comments as well as other bullying tactics.’
The PTSD became ‘overwhelming to the point of suicide’. Bjorn’s wife, who is also his carer, helped him buy a service dog to accompany him when he left the unit.
‘By this time the young man [upstairs] began a series of verbal, physical and emotional torture,’ Bjorn said. ‘When the neighbour stole my underwear and service dog sash from the clothesline, the police came to retrieve them for us.’
Bjorn said the police couldn’t do much to stop the harassment, so he took the neighbour to court.
Bjorn and his wife represented themselves. On the day of his court appearance Bjorn’s PTSD symptoms were ‘incredibly severe’, making it difficult for him to speak. The neighbour employed a solicitor and barrister.
‘We were out of our depth in understanding the procedures and we were made out to be liars. It was incredibly difficult but, thankfully, the young man was told to move out of the unit and leave us alone.’
The court set a return date.
The former neighbour harassed Bjorn online. Bjorn sent a letter to the court saying he was ‘too scared [to appear] as nothing was being done’.
The court date passed, and the online threats continued.
‘I called lifeline a number of times as I was suicidal and could not go on. The solicitor for the young man was relentless.’
Bjorn said he still hasn’t recovered and rarely leaves home.
‘The effect of the extreme harassment has broken me and my resolve. I am trying to receive help from my medical practitioners and to give my wife and little girls a normal life, but it is beyond my limits at times.’
Disclaimer: This is the story of a person who shared their personal experience with the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability through a submission or private session. The names in this story are pseudonyms. The person who shared this experience was not a witness and their account is not evidence. They did not take an oath or affirmation before providing the story. Nothing in this story constitutes a finding of the Royal Commission. Any views expressed are those of the person who shared their experience, not of the Royal Commission.