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Health
disability affairs reporter Elizabeth Wright and the Specialist Reporting Team's Celina Edmonds

Woman living with cerebral palsy tells disability royal commission she was 'raped and assaulted' by carer

"Chloe" gave evidence at the disability royal commission with support from facility dog, Ziggy. (Supplied)

WARNING: This story contains details that some readers may find distressing.

A Queensland woman who lives with cerebral palsy thought she was "going to die" after she says she was raped, beaten and "treated like a dog" by a paid personal assistant.

The woman, known as Chloe, gave evidence to the disability royal commission that she was repeatedly raped by the man, and later fell pregnant.

She told the DRC she "nearly died" and lost her baby in one of the attacks in 2016. 

"The baby died inside, I bled all over the floor and I nearly died."

Chloe told the inquiry the man worked as a nurse and came to support her when her usual personal assistant was sick.

"He would punish me by burning cigarettes around my vagina," she said.

"There were so many rapes and physical assaults, it was awful."

Chloe told the royal commission the personal assistant would also use her phone and bank card.

"He tricked me into thinking I was special, he used to tell me I was a princess," she said. 

"He would control what I did … he kept me from seeing friends and family … he would charm everyone."

Chloe was taken to see police by another personal assistant.

She praised a Queensland police officer for doing a good job and said the police "believed me all the way." 

Nurse found not guilty

The royal commission heard after an investigation the personal assistant was charged with multiple counts of "rape, grievous bodily harm, torture and assault." 

Chloe told the inquiry the man was found not guilty by the jury.

"They [the jury] saw me as disabled and a liar," Chloe said.

"They believed him because he's not disabled." 

Chloe told the inquiry she'd been through "six years of hell." 

"I can't trust anyone anymore," she said. 

"I'm scared to be in my own house because he raped in my bedroom, my lounge room and the kitchen, and I can't move without help.

"I'm scared he's going to come back to my house and kill me."   

In separate evidence, Victorian woman Nicole Lee has told how she experienced 10 years of trauma at the hands of her ex-husband.

Ms Lee, now a prominent advocate, detailed to the inquiry about her struggle dealing with the justice, health and child protection systems.  

Monday's hearing is the first of five days of evidence in Hobart, with the DRC set to hear from witnesses involved in multiple cases of abuse.     

The inquiry continues. 

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