A violent offender who inflicted years of physical and emotional abuse on his former partner and even threatened her children is set to be deported from Australia back to the UK.
Terry Phillips, a 41-year-old British citizen, served under ten months in prison after admitting to a slew of charges tied to his abusive behavior towards Nadine Hams and her children.
Following his release from a Victorian prison, Phillips was given a 15-month community corrections order and allowed to move to North Queensland, a decision that outraged his ex-partner.
For the past two years, Ms. Hams has been advocating for the Australian government to expel Phillips from the country.
“He’s been working in mines, earning a lot, with no curfews, and the address listed with the corrections officer wasn’t even his actual residence,” Ms. Hams told Nine News. “He was just living freely.”
Phillips later violated his corrections order and was subsequently charged with assaulting another former girlfriend.
Although he was found not guilty, Australia’s Immigration Minister Tony Burke used his powers to personally intervene and order Phillips’ deportation.
‘If someone’s on a visa I expect them to treat Australians with respect and when they don’t I check against the Migration Act and see if there are grounds for cancellation, and if there are you can leave,’ Burke said.
Nadine Hams spent two years campaigning for her violent ex-partner to be deported
British national Terry Phillips (pictured) is now in immigration detention after the immigration minister intervened
Ms Hams fought back tears when the minister called the mother-of-four this week to advise that Phillips’ visa had been cancelled.
‘It’s a miracle that it’s actually happened, because I wasn’t going to give up,’ she told Nine News.
‘I was hysterically crying and beside myself because I didn’t really think it would happen.
‘I was lost for words actually… I just thanked him and thanked him.
‘It wasn’t just for me, it was for past girlfriends and things like that that made me fight harder, not everyone has the courage to come forward, so it became a fight for all of us.’
Ms Hams was subjected to four years of physical and mental abuse in a relationship with Phillips that began when they met online.
Within six months of dating, Phillips had turned violent, leaving Ms Hams with a broken cheekbone, broken wrist, and often bruised and battered.
She would regularly cover up her bruises and injuries with makeup.
Nadine Hams was subjected to years of physical abuse by her then-partner Terry Phillips
Terry Phillips, 41, spent less than 10 months behind bars
The abuse even continued when she was pregnant, with Phillips once hitting her over the head with a stick while she was driving.
Just a week after she gave birth, Ms Hams was kicked in the stomach while breastfeeding, before Phillips punched her in the face, fracturing her cheek.
He would also slash her bed and pillows, control her social media accounts and once slammed Ms Hams’ head into a fridge.
When confronted with a long list of evidence detailing the abuse, Phillips denied any wrongdoing and claimed it was ‘made up crap’.
Phillips remains in immigration detention awaiting deportation after he was arrested by Australia Border Force officials last week, and it may be months before he is flown out.
Terry Phillips (pictured during a 2022 police interview) initially denied claims of abuse against this then-partner Ms Hams
Ms Hams hopes that her story will inspire other domestic violence victims to come forward.
She’s now leading calls for a national family violence register to monitor high-risk violent perpetrators such as Phillips, rather than separate databases run by each state.
‘It’s just stupid that it doesn’t show up nationally, because you can just keep moving states,’ Ms Ham said.
If you or someone you know needs support, call the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).
