Bjorn Andrew Wilson: Mid West farmer’s appeal against jail sentence for domestic violence ‘hell’ rejected

The State’s highest court has upheld the seven-year jail sentence handed to a Mid West farmer who subjected his partner to a reign of domestic violence terror, which she described as almost “six years of hell”. Bjorn Andrew Wilson, 49, launched an appeal against his sentence, but three Court of Appeal judges unanimously threw out the challenge on Wednesday. Wilson was convicted in September 2023 after pleading guilty to seven charges following the discontinuation of other counts. He was sentenced in the District Court for a range of offending against his partner between March 2015 and November 2020. Wilson, who lived with his partner and her two daughters on a farm in East Binnu, punched, pushed, shook, grabbed the victim by the throat and threatened her with weapons. At one point he choked her so hard she lost consciousness and in another case dragged her along the ground pulling out a chunk of her hair. In other instances, Wilson used a power drill on the victim’s back, cocked and dry-fired an unloaded shotgun at her and threw a glass at her face. The abuse was often accompanied by verbal abuse and denigration and at times was witnessed by the victim’s daughters. In a victim impact statement, the victim told the court that she went through hell and at times thought she was going to die. “At the start (of the abuse), the appellant promised her that he would never do it again. She refers to the promise leading to ‘six years of hell’,” Justice Stephen Hall said in the appeal decision. The victim described living a life of isolation and fear — not only for her safety but her daughters — and that she had never felt so alone or trapped. “She described living in a world of chaos where she was too scared to say the wrong thing, move a piece of furniture, or even talk, as she would be made to suffer the consequences in many ways; physically, verbally and mentally,” Justice Hall said. “She called the domestic violence helpline but hung up because she was scared about how the appellant would react if he found out.” The appeal judges agreed that Wilson’s grounds of appeal had no merit. Justice Hall said Wilson’s offending was prolonged and serious against a vulnerable, isolated victim. Wilson, in a letter to the sentencing judge, described his actions as “unforgiveable”. However, Justice Hall said Wilson’s subsequent remorse was offset by his initial minimilisation of his conduct and late pleas of guilty. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)