Lying still in a pool of her own blood with her eyes closed, Cairns woman Wendy Lloyd pretended to be dead.
She was trying not to move as she listened to her ex-partner storm around her home.
![Wendy Lloyd was rushed to hospital after the attack in 2003.](/web/20160924115947im_/http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/m/z/2/3/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.grmyrx.png/1474684242504.jpg)
The now 50-year-old woman had come home that day in 2003 to be met with his hand to her throat before she was repeatedly punched in the face and her head smashed into the floor.
He had already ripped the phone out of the wall before she could call for help.
He yelled out to her a few times with his face just centimetres away from hers, his hot breath making her feel sick, before he ran.
After feeling safe enough to move, she got up and ran to her neighbour's house, unaware of how badly hurt she was.
"I didn't realise I was covered head to toe in blood. I said 'Can you ring the police, it's urgent?' and then I ran back inside," she said.
"I glued up the keyholes in the doors outside, I called the real estate so they could change the locks straight way."
Police charged her partner, who later pleaded guilty and was put on a two-year good behaviour bond and a six-month suspended jail sentence.
He was on a domestic violence order at the time.
Ever since that day more than 13 years ago, Ms Lloyd has lived in fear that her ex-partner will try to finish what he started.
"I have no doubts of him coming to my door and killing me, that is how serious I am. I know I will be dead next year, he has nothing to lose," she said.
In 2008, five years after the vicious attack, Ms Lloyd suffered a brain aneurysm and was rushed to hospital for surgery.
She believes the aneurysm was caused by the beating.
She lost her business and became dependent on the man who caused her so much pain.
"My brain was still swollen from the surgery, I would ask him a question and he would turn around and say, 'I am not answering that'," she said.
"He would belt me around when I had the brain injury. If he had hit in the right spot, I would have been dead in 10 minutes.
"I believe he was trying to do that, 110 per cent."
They moved down to Wollongong so her ex could work with his brother – however in 2011, Wendy had had enough.
"I kicked him out of my house in April 2011, he was claiming carer pension on me, I dobbed him in on that," she said.
"Then in September 11, I was just doing housework, he walked straight in my house and he said, 'I am moving back'. He said he couldn't handle living with his brother and his wife.
"He said, 'I am here and there is nothing you can do about it and don't even think about ringing the police'."
Wendy moved back to Cairns not long after to be closer to her family. Her ex-partner followed her back.
"It has become suicidal. Why should I move, why should I have nothing to do with my family, why does the victim always cop the bad end of the stick?" she said.
"I have moved five times in four years, changed my mobile five times."
She claims police have repeatedly let her down when she has reported her ex-partner allegedly breaching his domestic violence order.
In July this year, her ex-partner allegedly sent her text messages from different payphones and she went to police to get them to download the SMSes from her mobile phone.
Weeks later, when she asked for a copy of the downloads she was told the downloads had been lost.
"They downloaded my phone to prove the phone box that it came from, but then they lost it," she said.
"He (the police officer) said 'We can't find it.'
"I said, 'Why are you losing evidence? You want me to be a witness in court, you are losing evidence, this is not satisfactory'."
Ms Lloyd also went to police to let them know she thought that a Facebook user who had been messaging her was her ex-husband.
"They wouldn't look into it, they said there is nothing we can do about it," she said.
"(The officer at the police station) wrote the name (of the Facebook account) down and there is nothing that has been done about it.
"I know this time next year I'll be dead and they are not taking it seriously."
Fairfax Media contacted Queensland Police on August 26 to inquire about the accusations made by Ms Lloyd relating to police losing evidence against her ex-partner and her insistence they had not taken her complaints seriously.
Ms Lloyd had lodged a complaint with Police Link that same week.
On September 12, Ms Lloyd received a call from her local police station informing her police had found her mobile phone downloads and she was asked to come in to provide a statement regarding the alleged domestic violence breach.
Officers also asked her for a copy of the messages she had received from the account on Facebook, who she believed was her ex-partner.
On September 14, Queensland Police responded to Fairfax Media's inquiry into Ms Lloyd's allegations.
"Queensland Police have liaised with a Cairns woman, who will deal directly with the reporting officer going forward, in relation to any inquiries or further issues," the statement read.
"She is comfortable that this assurance and central point of contact will be sufficient.
"As this is a domestic violence matter, it would not be appropriate to comment any further."
Confidential support and advice for women affected by domestic violence is available by phoning DVConnect Womensline on 1800 811 811 (24 hours, 7 days a week).
Help is available for men from DVConnect Mensline on 1800 600 636 (9am to midnight, 7 days a week) or Lifeline on 13 11 14 (24 hours).