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Aussie 'bound, raped, robbed' as partner was forced to watch

A Hobart woman was allegedly bound, gagged and raped by an escaped prisoner, as her partner was forced to watch, during a trip to Samoa.

An “aggressive” intruder brandishing scissors allegedly appeared the hotel room of Angie Jackson and her partner Tommy Williams,at the Lupe Sina Tree Resort about 2am on September 24 last year, as they were preparing for an early trip home, the couple say.

“I saw a Samoan man, crouched in the corner. I screamed as loud as I could, and I froze,” Ms Jackson shared on a GoFundMe page her sister created to raise money for the couple’s return to Samoa to help put the alleged attacker behind bars.

“The man came towards me with a pair of large dress scissors raised high and straight at me.

“My screams got Tom out of bed and he quickly came to my aid, only to be faced with a very aggressive figure as the scissors were directed towards him.

“We were then instructed to lie face down on the bed. I was crying uncontrollably by this stage. He kept telling us to be quiet, or he would kill us.“

Mr Williams was bound with his own clothes the intruder ripped up and his partner’s hands were tied behind her back, while the pair begged for their lives.

Angie Jackson begged for her life when her holiday with partner Tom ended in a nightmare. The par are fundraising to return to Samoa to put their alleged attacker behind bars. Picture: GoFundMe
Angie Jackson begged for her life when her holiday with partner Tom ended in a nightmare. The par are fundraising to return to Samoa to put their alleged attacker behind bars. Picture: GoFundMe

“He asked me 'why he shouldn't kill us. Why shouldn't we die?' I answered because we have too much to live for.”

She thought she and her partner were going to be killed.

“I kept telling Tom over and over how much I loved him, muffled through my gag.”

The attacker pulled the doona over the two on the bed as Ms Jackson said she just waited for the scissors to go straight into her back. But they didn’t come.

“I heard him say to Tom, 'I'm sorry brother, please forgive me. I am hungry.”

The intruder collected the couple’s money, phones, iPad and other electronics, leaving the couple bound and gagged as he fled.

One of the guest treehouses at the Lupe Sina Tree Resort in Samoa, where the alleged attack happened. Picture: Pinterest
One of the guest treehouses at the Lupe Sina Tree Resort in Samoa, where the alleged attack happened. Picture: Pinterest

“He searched our bags for valuable items. I remember begging him to not take our passports. Without those, getting home would be so much harder,” Ms Jackson said.

The pair was rescued when the hotel manager came to check on them after realising they missed their taxi booking to take them to their airport.

The door opened, then there were screams and a scuffle as the man ran away.

Ms Jackson was able to identify the alleged attacker after the Samoan police re-captured him on October 4.

The alleged offender is a believed to be an escaped prisoner from the Tafa’igata prison, who Ms Jackson says escaped twice again since the September attack.

Ms Jackson and Mr Williams prepare for the June 27 trail, and have been asked to be witnesses at court in Samoa.

The GoFundMe page was set up so the couple could cover bills, rent and other expenses while they are away for a month to attend the trial and also to repay Ms Jackson’s mother for footing the legal costs.

The funds would also help pay for members of both of families to travel with them to support them through the trail.

On Friday the couple were $400 short of achieving their goal of raising $25,000 - just two days after the page was set up.

“Money certainly won’t erase what happened to us, nor will it speed up our healing,” Ms Jackson said.

“But it will take away any financial pressure we feel over what is going to be very traumatic and stressful time for both Tom and I, as we try to find some justice for the evil that we were dealt.

“And most importantly, it will put this man behind bars, where he belongs, for a very long time.”

The pair say they contacted the Victims of Crime organisation to seek compensation, but were declined support as the offense occurred outside of Australia.