"Sad, old menacing coward:" Grace Tame reports childhood abuser to police
Activist Grace Tame has revealed she continues to be harassed by the man who abused her as a child, having reported him to the police for “targeted harassment” online.
Ms Tame was 15 when she was groomed and raped by her maths teacher Nicolaas Bester, who then bragged about his crimes online while she was unable to speak out due to Tasmania’s “gag law”.
Her legal fight to change the laws, which prevent sexual abuse victims from publicly identifying themselves, as part of the #LetHerSpeak campaign, saw Ms Tame pushed into the public eye and recognised for her efforts when she was named the Australian of the Year.
But, on Wednesday the 23-year-old said she was “still dealing with open threats and harassment from the man who abused me and others”.
“This has been my reality for 12 years now, behind closed doors for my family and me,” she wrote on Twitter.
She also shared screenshots of tweets appearing to be from Bester, where her childhood email is referenced and he threatens that “he is coming to show all too (sic) you”.
In one message dated April 27, Bester uses her email address and writes, “at last I shall come for [email address]..... in good time…..”.
In another, posted on August 28, he uses her email address again, writing that “the good old comeuppance on its way” with “only 4 weeks to go!!”.
“Here he is, the twice-convicted child sex offender, referring to my childhood email, which very few people know, in place of my name. It was the login to my old Facebook he and I communicated on,” Ms Tame wrote.
“He’s counting down to an act of revenge, planned for the day of my book’s release.”
She alleged that his repeated comments constituted a federal offence and contravened Twitter’s child exploitation policy, which says that content that further contributes to the victimisation of children “through the promotion or glorification of child sexual exploitation” is also prohibited.
“This is targeted harassment of a known victim of his past crimes, designed to cause further harm,” Ms Tame said.
“I’ve reported them to police, but our reactive justice system is too slow, and nothing’s changed.”
Bester was sentenced to two years and 10 months in prison for maintaining a sexual relationship with someone under the age of 17 and possession of child exploitation material, but only served one year and nine months before he was released.
He has been free to speak about his abuse of Ms Tame for some time and has previously taken to social media to brag to his followers.
“The majority of men in Australia envy me,” he wrote.
“I was 59, she was 15 going on 25. It was awesome.”
Bester’s account has since been suspended by Twitter.
Ms Tame said her tweets were an act of reclaiming power “against a predator operating in plain sight”.
“This man seems to think he is still relevant and can maintain control over me,” she wrote.
“This man who groomed and abused me when I was a child.
“I’m not ashamed of any of it now.
“But he should be. He was an adult who abused his authority.
“Just because I have found the anger and strength in me now, does it make me an aggressor, or a survivor?
"I know who I am. I am a survivor.
"I have the power to be vulnerable. He will never have that. He is too afraid, and too weak. He is too weak to be vulnerable. Instead, he exploits others who are. He knows no other way to be. I see that now. And because of that, he doesn't scare me anymore.”
Ms Tame added that her posts were “not for the critics” and were instead for survivors like her.
"He is a sad, old menacing coward.
“This is not for the critics. They will say what they always say. This is for the people like me. And you know who you are too.
“I stand with you. We have the power.”
If you or someone you know needs support as a result of sexual assault or child sexual abuse, contact the Blue Knot Helpline and Redress Support Service on 1300 657 380, or LifeLine on 13 11 14 for immediate support.
Image: Getty Images