VICTIMS PAYING THE PRICE
Terror never leaves for home invasion targets
THE full psychological effects on victims of home invasions across the Far North have been laid bare, with the frightening scars lingering long after the crime has been committed.
Far North victims have spoken of the ongoing trauma the offences can cause, with one psychologist reporting the impact can be similar to women who have been raped.
Cairns psychologist Crispian Jones of Seachange Psychology said forced entries and burglaries were often “extremely traumatic” for the victims due to their gross, intrusive nature.
“A lot of people, particularly women, feel like they have been raped,” he said.
“It is a very personal invasion.”
THE full psychological effects on victims of home invasions across the Far North have been laid bare, with the frightening scars lingering long after the crime has been committed.
Cairns victims who have suffered the indignity and terror of waking to an intruder lurking in the shadows have spoken of the ongoing trauma the offences can cause, with one psychologist reporting the impact can be similar to women who have been raped.
Cairns resident Cameron Borg said his family had sought therapy and were “still scared to live in their own home” after a horrifying home invasion at their Mount Sheridan property in January.
His parents woke to find their vehicles stolen and belongings ransacked in a “disgusting invasion of privacy” that is still haunting them three months on.
“My mum still has nights where she can’t sleep and is terrified,” he said.
“She gets up in the night to make sure the house is locked and there is no one around.
“The lingering effects have been severe.”
Mr Borg’s cousin, who was also home when the intrusion occurred, has sought treatment to deal with panic attacks.
“She has suffered severe anxiety from it; she is having to see a therapist,” he said.
“She just can’t deal with what happened; she gets very anxious, to the point she is having panic attacks.
“It’s really bad.”
Cairns psychologist Crispian Jones of Seachange Psychology said forced entries and burglaries were often “extremely traumatic” for the victims due to their gross, intrusive nature.
“A lot of people, particularly women, feel like they have been raped,” he said.
“It is a very personal invasion.
“Then you get things like denial, anger, fear, sadness, shame, confusion, anxiety and depression, and a kind of numbness, which is part of the grieving process.
“There is guilt, hopelessness, helplessness, irritability and all those sort of feelings; they are very typical.”
White Rock resident Rainee Nicholls said she felt “really violated” after her home was broken into on a wet night last week.
Ms Nicholls’ niece, living in a different suburb, was also a victim of a brazen theft the same night. The incidents have not been isolated to Cairns, with many reported in smaller rural towns, such as Innisfail, Atherton, Mossman and Port Douglas.
Port Douglas Officer in Charge, Senior Sergeant Damien Meadows, who has attended countless robberies in the seaside town, said the true cost of the crime was often psychological, rather than the loss of property and assets.
“It’s a massive invasion on people’s privacy and the old saying ‘a man’s home is his castle’ rings true, because that’s your space,” he said.
“The only people that should come into that space are people you invite into that space.
“So when somebody does take an opportunity to force an entry into your home, it has a significant psychological effect on the victims of that crime.
“It’s the lingering effects and the disruption it causes to people’s lives.”
Dr Jones encouraged anyone dealing with trauma to seek professional treatment as quickly as possible.
Sergeant Meadows said the Queensland Police Service had programs in place for victims of crime and referred them to counselling services.
Mr Borg said the crime problem in Cairns was “ridiculous”.
“Melbourne is a city of five million people, yet I feel safer walking around Melbourne at 3am than I do around Cairns,” he said.
“It is ridiculous. It shouldn’t be like this. The amount of crime that is happening is not normal.”
Melbourne is a city of five million people yet I feel safer walking around Melbourne at 3am than I do around Cairns CAMERON BORG
So when somebody does take an opportunity to force an entry into your home, it has a significant psychological effect on the victims of that crime Senior Sergeant Damien Meadows