A powerful victim impact statement example for domestic violence

If you searched for a victim impact statement example, you are probably about to write one, and might be worried yours will not be enough. Not powerful enough. Not articulate enough. Not big enough to hold what happened. Here is the truth: power does not come from big language. What judges remember is detail and your real words.

The below example is Leah's impact statement after experiencing years of domestic violence. Leah is not a real person. Her statement is fictional but was written to reflect the real impact of domestic violence, and how a strong statement can hold this impact.

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Leah's impact statement

How I felt at the time

Fear was normal in our house. I could tell from the sound of his car door closing what kind of night we were going to have. I knew from just a small change in his voice, that I needed to start agreeing with him more. But not too much or he would think I wasn't listening to him. I was always counting. Counting how many hours until morning, how many steps to the front door, how many more drinks until he turned into the person who hurts us. I was always on. It took so much energy thinking about how to keep us safe that I didn't have any left for what mattered most: quality time with my children.

Emotional wellbeing

Even though he's gone now, I'm still on. I still count. I go to the shops and notice every loud sound, every raised voice, every person walking too close to me. The energy this takes from me is energy I don't have. So when I'm at home, I'm laying on the couch or in bed. The dishes and laundry pile up. The kids have to entertain themselves. I still feel when people's moods change and I try to keep them happy. I mistake someone who is confident as someone who is going to hurt me. I make myself small around them. It's going to take a long time to get my self-esteem and confidence back. Maybe it won't ever fully come back.

‍Relationships

He spent fourteen years turning my people into strangers. He told me terrible things about the people I care about. Every family story I told him, he twisted to make my family sound evil. He wouldn't stop until I started believing him. I started believing my own family were out to get me and my children. So I stopped answering their calls, and I stopped going to the family events. My sister and I talk again now, but we're not as close as we used to be. I don't have any friends. My eldest son and I used to have a really close bond. He used to run into my arms when he needed a cuddle. He's 13 now and has started treating me the same way his father used to. He tells me I'm an idiot just like his Dad did. I understand why he does it, but it doesn't make it hurt any less.

‍Physical health

My left wrist was broken and healed wrong, and it aches before rain. The plate in my wrist sets off scanners. It happened when I went to court to apply for a protective order and it made me feel so ashamed. I've always wanted to go on a holiday overseas but now I feel too embarrassed to go through the airport scanners. I have headaches most weeks and haven't slept a whole night in years. When I saw my sister recently after a couple of years of not talking, she joked that I look like a zombie. Later that same day she cried, saying she's sad I've lost my spark.

Financial impact

I don't have a number to put on what his choices have cost me. It's been years worth of small costs that add up. The debts are in my name, because everything risky was always in my name. The parking fines, speeding tickets, all came to me. I've had to buy about 6 new phones over the years, every time he smashed one. I have dents and holes on the walls, doors and furniture all throughout the house from him. He has thrown and smashed so many kitchen items over the years that I started buying plastic cups and plates. He even smashed the nice casserole dish I inherited from my grandmother. One time, he made a pile of my nice dresses and burned them in the back yard. Another time he smashed my car's windscreen. There was also all the times he took the money out of my bank account to buy alcohol or gamble. I don't have a number for years of little costs. What I know though is that I'm 41, I have no savings or nice things, and I have debts that I will be paying off for years.

‍Daily life and routine

We do things other families never have to think about. Things to kept us safe that I won't write down. And other things like l go to reach for the spiced gherkins at the shops because he once got angry at me that we didn't have any at home. Fourteen years of small habits that kept us safe have stayed with me.

Sense of safety

He doesn't live here anymore but it still feels like he does. I still make decisions and act how I know he likes because I feel like he's still watching. I see a psychologist every two weeks. My psychologist said I have complex PTSD and that it comes out like obsessive compulsive behaviours. Night times are the hardest because I'm just waiting for him to walk through that door again.

Spiritual and cultural wellbeing

I used to believe in God. But living with someone who made me do things I'm ashamed of made me feel like I wasn't worthy of God's love. It made me feel dirty. So I drifted away from my faith. I still think there might be something more out there. But believing in something good has become tied to my shame.

Who I was before this happened

Before I met him, I was the loud one. I organised the birthdays. I drove friends to the airport at five in the morning and sang the whole way. I had plans that had nothing to do with staying safe. I wanted to travel the world.

What I want the court/assessor to know

I want the criminal injuries assessor to know there are many more impacts that I can't talk about. Things I can't write on paper.

Your statement does not need to sound like this

Leah's voice is not a standard to meet. Your statement will be powerful for the same underlying reason hers is: because it is true, specific and yours. Justice Draft's free tool walks you through the same ten sections one question at a time. Start whenever you're ready. Pause whenever you need.