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"I killed her. I killed her to get back at you. I don't care. Even if I go behind bars, I know that you are suffering.''

“You killed your daughter to get back at her mother.”

Warning: This item deals with domestic violence and may be triggering for some readers.

Wednesday, November 17 2011 a three-year old girl and her mum arrive home, she sees her dad’s car in the driveway of the house she shares with her mum. He’s not meant to be there, there is a court order that he stays away but a three-year old doesn’t know, her world hadn’t been filled with the violence her mum’s has – she’s just thrilled to see her dad.

Her dad promises to take her to the milk bar to buy her a kinder surprise and despite her mother’s protests they go, waving good-bye to mum as they drive off.

“’Do you trust me?” her dad said to her mum as he took her “I wouldn’t take her away from you like you took her from me.”

Four hours later he stabs her to death after allowing her to speak to her mummy one last time, she told her she loved her.

 

Ramazan Acar and Yazmina.

What happened next is well known to many Australians.

The horrific murder of Yazmina, the court case and conviction. The nation left reeling at yet another revenge attack by one partner against another. A litany of domestic violence uncovered.

A tiny girl a senseless victim. A young woman facing life without her daughter.

Now, four years later the coroner is investigating the death of the three-year old and the role police played in family violence intervention between the former couple.

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”If you saw her face when she saw her dad that afternoon, she had stars in her eyes when she ran up to him. That’s why I let her go with him. I did it for Mimi.”

The relationship between Rachelle and her former partner, Ramazan Acar had broken down several months earlier.

Rachelle D’Argent, who, during their long on-and-off relationship, had been repeatedly beaten and abused by Acar and had taken out an intervention order against her ex-fiance.

Rachelle D’Argent. 60 Minutes.

On that night when her daughter wasn’t returned a long and drawn out series of phone calls and Facebook messages show the crazed mind of Ramazan Acar, intend on seeking revenge on his ex-partner.

After Acar did not return within 10 minutes  Rachelle had a series of phone calls with him. At first Acar said he and Yazmina had stopped at McDonald’s and she’d be home soon.

There were another two phone calls from  Rachelle to Acar at about 7pm. ”How does it feel not to have your child when I didn’t have mine for three months,” he asked her first.

Later, he demanded she go to the police station and withdraw her intervention order.

When she refused he told her ”Well, I can’t do you any favours” and hung up.

A few minutes later another call:

Rachelle: ”Please Ramzy, bring her back. I just want my daughter back.”

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Acar: ”Guess what baby, you’re not getting her back. I loved you Rachelle, I loved you. Look what you’ve made me do. Now I just have to decide whether to go 120 [km/h] head on with another car and kill the both of us or take the knife and just put it through her throat.”

At 7.23pm, Acar updated his Facebook status to read: ”Bout 2 kill ma kid”.

He then sent before he sent Rachelle two text messages – ”I Loved You” and ”It’s ova I did it.”

Eleven minutes later, Acar again changed his Facebook status. ”Pay bk u slut”.

Soon Rachelle was with police,  she phoned Acar again. He told her that he was ”going to kill her”.

”It’s too late, I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it. Do you have any last words for her?”

Acar put his three-year old daughter got on the phone to her mother: ”I love you”. Rachelle replied: ”I love you too”. Acar then hung up.

At 8.47pm came a confession.

”I’ve killed her,” Acar said .

Acar is serving life in jail.

”She’s just lying there next to me … It doesn’t matter any more. All I need to know is should I dump the body somewhere and how much time do you think I am going to get for this? I killed her, man, I killed her. I killed her to get back at you. I don’t care. Even if I go behind bars, I know that you are suffering.”

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Two hours later, Acar sent another SMS  ”I h8t you,” he said

”She’s in heaven I feel lyk shit.”

Another Facebook status update came at about 11.20pm. ”I lv u mimi,” Acar posted.

Police arrested Acar about 10 minutes later. He told them he had stabbed Yazmina more than once.

A court would later hear that Yazmina’s death had been prolonged and painful because Acar had missed her vital organs.

Rachelle D’Argent said ”I have been asked why I stayed with him and one reason is that I was bloody scared.”

Acar led police to his daughter, dumped in vacant land in a new housing estate in Greenvale.

The Coroner investigated the death within the context of the Court’s Victorian Systematic Review of Family Violence deaths.

Through the relationship between Rachelle and Acar there had been a clear issue of family violence.

He had attended at a court’s order family violence intervention programs, and been ordered to attend a 12 week men’s behaviour change program – that he did not attend when a further magistrate did not follow up on the order after a second conviction.

Acar had attended at a court’s order family violence intervention programs.

Acar had 31 prior convictions.

In September 2010, Acar was served an intervention order, which he breached the same month by sending text messages to Rachelle.

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He breached the intervention order again on September 30 for sending text messages. The two reports filed by Rachelle were not received at Broadmeadows until October 14 and 15.

Acar was then taken into custody and interviewed and he admitted to the breaches. According to the coroner’s report he justified it by his desire to be in contact with his daughter.

The coroner examined the police’s handling of the case and found that even though there was a delay in sending files there was no evidence to suggest he wouldn’t have been walking free before the day he killed his daughter. The coroner had no adverse findings in the police procedure.

When asked why she stayed with him Rachelle D’Argent said.

”I have been asked why I stayed with him and one reason is that I was bloody scared, but also, the smile on my little girl’s face when she saw her dad come home from work was priceless,”

In sentencing him Justice Curtain said “You committed this murder for the worst possible motives: revenge and spite. You killed your daughter to get back at her mother. You used your daughter, an innocent victim, as the instrument of your overarching desire to inflict pain on your former partner.”

Acar now serves life in jail.

  For domestic violence support 24/7, call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732).