A man who beat his wife, burnt her with cigarettes and put a knife to her throat has come forward after serving six months in jail, speaking to reporter Tara Brown on 60 Minutes.
And while urging abusive men to “seek help” on Sunday night and wearing a White Ribbon pin on his jacket – signalling zero tolerance for violence against women – Steve appeared to be shifting the blame at times.
“I believe that some people bring the best of you out, and some people bring the worst of you out,” he said on the program.
“Seriously? You’re going to sit here now and tell me it’s Sharon’s fault?” said Brown.
“No, I’m not going to say that,” he argued.
“Well, that’s what you’ve done,” said Brown.
Brown told news.com.au she was most surprised to see Steve hadn’t completely come to terms with the reality he is responsible for the abuse.
“The onus is on you if you lose control, but he was blaming her,” Brown said.
“That’s why it got my back up. To me, using those words in the context of beating your wife — he was telling me that she provoked him.
“On the surface he is genuinely remorseful, but he is yet to really comprehend that the only person responsible for his actions is him.”
Steve admits to abusing Sharron to reporter Tara Brown on 60 minutes
Sharron, who was married to Steve and fell victim to his violent outbreaks, said on the program she “married a monster” and claimed she’d be dead if her husband didn’t serve jail time.
When pressed by Brown, she explains why victims of domestic violence don’t leave.
“The longer it goes on, the more dangerous it gets,” said Sharron.
“It’s safer to stay with them because you know where they are, and you feel comfort in the fact that they know where you are. You’re not going to upset them by them not knowing where you are.”
Sharron says she’s lost count of the amount of times Steve abused her, and claims he made fun of her the first time he hit her.
Chilling footage of Steve violently throwing Sharron to the ground was aired by the program on Sunday night.
A tearful Sharron talks about the domestic violence she endured countless times
Another victim of abuse, Bianca, whose husband abused her countless times appeared on the program, showing Brown images of her swollen face with black eyes holding only an empty gaze.
She finally left her partner when he kicked her so hard she didn’t think she was going to come out of the attack alive.
A court protection order is the only safety net she has now, as her ex avoided jail time with only a suspended six month sentence.
And do both of these women believe these abusive men can be rehabilitated?
“People say they can be, but in my heart, I don’t think they can be. I think they’re too far gone.. there’s always going to be that rage inside him,” said Bianca, while Sharron was more brief.
“No. You cannot change. He is an aggressive, angry abuser,” she said of her ex.
The program aired just days after the government was criticised for only funding an extra $16.7 million to a domestic violence campaign in this year’s budget.
Steve told women suffering from domestic violence to know “it’s not your fault” and “there’s help out there,” and told abusive men to get help.
“You’ve got to stop for yourself, for your kids, for your partner, for your wife, for your family, for the community. There’s no place for it,” said Steve.
“I take full responsibility for what I’ve done. Sharron didn’t make me hit her. Sharron didn’t make me throw her to the floor. She didn’t. I did that. No one made me.”
