A vulnerable immigrant was allegedly forced into sexual servitude by a man who beat her, controlled her money and phone, and used a knife to carve his nickname into her arm.
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And court documents suggest the alleged victim was sent to immigration detention in Villawood after finally seizing an opportunity to flee her abuser and alert police.
The defendant, 25, on Tuesday pleaded not guilty to the disturbing allegations, said to have occurred after the pair met at a Canberra McDonalds store in late December last year.
Police say the man, who cannot be named, became infatuated with the woman after she pointed out to him that he'd dropped his wallet in the takeaway store.
He would later tell her he loved her and wanted to marry her, persuading her to move in with him.
But court documents suggest the relationship soon took a sinister turn.
On the first day of living together, he forced her to pay for all of their household items, clean the house and his clothes, and told her she was not allowed to talk to other men.
In the days that followed, she told him she didn't like the way she was being treated, saying she felt like a maid.
The woman found his wallet and noticed his driver's licence was in a different name, and listed a different date of birth.
He allegedly began to threaten her, saying he would cut her head off if she disobeyed him.
That prompted her to leave with the help of her estranged husband, but the defendant allegedly came after her, later finding her, and forcing her back into his car.
She was then allegedly told to concoct stories to police, family, and co-workers, saying she was happy to be with him. As they went into Woden police station, he allegedly told her to show them her "happy face".
He maintained control of her mobile phone, took all of her money, and forced her to pay for everything and go with him as he worked pizza delivery shifts.
Police allege she was continually forced into depraved, often violent sexual acts with the man.
He used a knife to carve his nickname into her arm, threatened to cut off her legs, and told her he was going to kill her.
The woman was allegedly told that nobody would know if she was dead, because she was an illegal immigrant.
According to court documents, he said words to the effect of:
"If I am going to kill you I will tell you first."
Her alleged ordeal continued until late February, two months after they first met.
On the day she escaped, the defendant allegedly threatened to carve his name into her other arm for messing up a pizza delivery.
He allegedly told her they were going to buy a "very sharp knife".
When he left the car, the woman fled, finding a passer-by and asking for help, police say.
Officers arrived and, upon confirming she was in Australia unlawfully, detained her on behalf of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection.
She was sent to Villawood Detention Centre days later.
It took police more than a month to obtain a search warrant for the defendant's home and two vehicles.
They called him on the day of the search, and he told them he was in Melbourne. Phone triangulation showed he was in Bondi, Sydney, police say.
He was later arrested and brought before the ACT Magistrates Court.
The defendant faces five charges, including sexual intercourse without consent, kidnap, sexual servitude, intentionally inflict grievous bodily harm, and unlawful confinement.
He pleaded not guilty on Tuesday and will reappear in June.
If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit www.1800RESPECT.org.au. In an emergency, call 000
