Shocking new details emerge about Australia’s ‘house of horror’ where a woman was allegedly chained to a bed by her boyfriend – and how she escaped
A 34-year-old man accused of chaining up his girlfriend with a padlock and assaulting her with a meat tenderiser while keeping her prisoner in their home has been hit with new charges, including rape and intentionally choking.
Luke Woodward was slapped with six new offences on top of five previous charges after his girlfriend managed to break free on a rare trip outside the house where she was allegedly detained.
The woman, 32, was allegedly detained inside a home at Oak Flats, near Lake Illawarra south of Sydney, where Woodward allegedly chained her to their bed with ‘a heavy-set metal chain, padlocked to her right ankle’.
She was allegedly only unlocked from the bed to eat and use the toilet, and her partner also allegedly took her mobile phone, wallet and keys, isolating her from family, friends and work.
Police also allege she was assaulted with scissors and a meat tenderiser, suffering a fractured eye socket, bruising and broken ribs.
By last August, police allege the abuse had escalated to the point that the woman was chained up by day and whenever Woodward left their home on The Esplanade, Oak Flats.
It was only on August 5 last year, when she was out with Woodward on an excursion to access her bank account at a local ATM, that she managed to flee and hide in the Oak Flats Pharmacy on the suburb’s main street.
The terrified woman approached a customer inside the pharmacy for help, as outside Woodward allegedly drove up and down Central Avenue trying to find her.
Luke Woodward, 34, is accused of chaining up his girlfriend with a padlock around her ankle in their home (above) and assaulting her with a meat tenderiser while she was held prisoner, fracturing her eye socket
After being padlocked to the bed inside their Oak Flats home, the terrified woman was able to flee during a brief trip into Oak Flats to access a bank account, hiding in the pharmacy (circled) while Woodward allegedly drove up and down Central Avenue searching for her
The woman was taken to Lake Illawarra Police Station, where she reported domestic violence injuries, and was then admitted to Shellharbour Hospital to be treated for her eye socket and rib fractures.
Police went to The Esplanade home the following afternoon and arrested Woodward, who was refused bail.
He was charged with kidnapping with intent to commit a serious indictable offence, assault occasioning actual bodily harm (DV), taking and detaining a person with intent to obtain advantage, common assault, and stalking and intimidation.
However, after further investigation, Wollongong detectives laid further charges against Woodward while he was in custody.
He was due to face Wollongong Local Court on Wednesday charged with sexual intercourse without consent (DV), common assault (DV), two counts of intentionally choking a person with recklessness, assault occasioning actual bodily harm (DV), and intending abusive behaviour to coerce or control an intimate partner (DV).
The court heard that the police brief of allegations against Woodward was so large that the matter should be adjourned to a later date so that prosecutors could be across the case.
Magistrate David Williams granted the adjournment.
The court has previously heard that Woodward was allegedly motivated by a fear the woman might be ‘sneaking out’ at night to have sex with other men.
