Woman recalls her 'week of hell' when boyfriend injected her with heroin, abused her.

Warning: this post details sexual abuse and domestic violence and may be triggering for some readers.

For one whole week in 2013, Gabbe Rowland was injected with heroin, beaten and sexually assaulted by her then-boyfriend, Justin Mustafa.

Now 28, Gabbe is refusing to let her negative experience define her, and is helping others by sharing her story with the world.

Speaking to The Sun, Gabbe admitted she was "head over heels" in love with Mustafa when they first began dating in 2011.

When he told her he was due to appear in court, accused of filming an ex-girlfriend naked without her consent, she was "impressed with his honesty".

"He denied it was true, explaining they had made a sex tape together, and when they broke up she was so angry she went to the police and made up a story," Gabbe said.

"I don’t know if I was blinded by my feelings, but I was impressed with such honesty. I vowed to support him because I believed him."

He was sentenced to one year behind bars, but Gabbe stayed by his side. Soon after Mustafa was released, she discovered she was pregnant with his child.

"At first Justin was pleased, but then he turned on me and started accusing me of all sorts of stupid things," she said.

After arguing tor weeks about the baby, Gabbe eventually suffered a miscarriage, "probably with all the stress of what was happening".

"I was devastated...I wanted this baby. Somehow we got back together again but things were never the same," she said.

Things got worse when Gabbe suspected she was pregnant again in May 2013.

"He was the best he had ever been. He was back to being the guy I fell in love with," she said of her ex-boyfriend's attitude to her announcement.

But everything changed when Gabbe discovered she wasn't pregnant.

At the end of June, Mustafa picked Gabbe up from work and drove to a secluded spot. There, he forced heroin into her veins.

LISTEN: Sarah Ferguson and Andrew, a former abuser, talk about Domestic Violence in Australia.

"I knew that Justin had taken heroin at various times in our relationship but he had always hidden it well," she told The Sun.

"He quickly pushed a vial of heroin into my arm and I was powerless - it happened so quickly and I was so afraid of what he might do if I pulled away."

Over the next six days, Gabbe was injected with heroin "once or twice a day that I remember". She was also beaten, raped and forced to perform degrading sexual acts.

"I begged him to stop, crying in so much pain, but he ignored my cries and kept hitting me," she said of the abuse.

After her boss became concerned about her bruises at work, Gabbe broke down and confessed the abuse her partner had subjected her to. She sought refuge in a shelter and pressed charges against Mustafa.

"I knew that I had to do it otherwise I would live in fear of Justin for the rest of my life," she said.

In March 2014, Justin Mustafa was found guilty and was sentenced to six years behind bars.

"I think the sentence should have been longer," Gabbe said.

"He tortured me for a week. He could easily have killed me with the heroin or he could have beaten me to death as he promised he would."

Now, Gabbe shares her story to empower other women in similar situations to leave and seek help.

"I truly believe I was put on earth to make a difference and here is my opportunity," she said in the victim impact statement she read in court in March 2014.

"I have found a way to turn my negative experience into a life-changing move that could only been seen as positive. I believe it is my duty as a transformed victim to speak up in hopes another woman doesn't have to go through this as I have.

"If I can make an impact on just one person then I know I'm making a difference in this world. He never took my voice away. He only gave me a reason to talk louder."

If you or someone you know is in need of help, please call the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service on 1800 RESPECT.