Liam
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.
Liam has an intellectual disability, depression and anxiety. When he was four, his mother was unable to care for him and his grandparents became his primary carers.
Liam told the Royal Commission that when he entered the workforce, his grandfather controlled his finances and would not allow him to manage his own money.
When his mother died, Liam received ‘sizeable payouts’. He was unaware of how much he had inherited, but trusted his grandfather to manage the funds in his best interests.
His grandfather came up with a plan to co-purchase a townhouse in which Liam and his girlfriend would live. Liam’s grandparents had been physically and verbally abusing both him and his girlfriend, and he hoped the abuse would stop once they moved and that he could have his own life.
While the townhouse was being built, his grandfather was continually asking Liam to sign documents and paperwork he didn’t understand.
Finally Liam and his girlfriend moved into their new home. It was an exciting time, but Liam’s grandparents had keys and would enter whenever they chose. Soon after, the grandparents started asking them for rent.
Unsure why he should be paying rent, Liam asked an advocate to help him find out who the property belonged to.
Meanwhile, tensions rose. His grandparents would come to Liam’s house and verbally and physically abuse him and his girlfriend.
After years of enduring this kind of abuse, Liam’s girlfriend tried to take her life. She sustained serious injury and was hospitalised for many months.
Assisted by a domestic abuse support network, Liam and his girlfriend had cameras installed and security doors fixed around the home. An investigation was launched into who owned the property.
On the title the townhouse was owned 50/50 by Liam and his grandfather, who was now trying to sell the property to claim his 50%. But when the dispute went to court, Liam was awarded 70% ownership.
The townhouse was sold and Liam has moved elsewhere, trying to start a new life. But his grandparents continue their abuse – verbally, physically and emotionally.
He would like to see the introduction ‘of tougher penalties’ when families do not act in the best interests of those they are charged to care for.
‘Families do not always do the best thing for the persons they are working with,’ he said.
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.