Victim living in fear as sex attacker walks free My endless nightmare

Alex de Vos
A sexual assault victim says she is living a nightmare after her attacker walked free from Geelong Magistrates’ Court.
The woman said she was sleeping alone at her Leopold house on January 13 when she felt someone climb on top and start sexually assaulting her.
Leopold’s Eddie Koningen, 59, pleaded guilty when he appeared in Geelong Magistrates’ Court on May 8 charged with offences including indecent assault and aggravated burglary.
Koningen was convicted and fined $1565.
The 39-year-old victim said in her victim impact statement that Koningen entered her home through a back door before creeping into her room “around midnight”.
“It was a really hot night and I was sleeping without clothes,” the woman said.
“At first I thought it was the man I’d been seeing. I was in a daze.
“But then I realised it wasn’t him and I screamed.
“I told him to get away, to get off me. I was hysterical.
“I grabbed my phone and told him my brother was a police officer. That must have scared him because he ran away.”
The woman told the Independent she had seen Koningen earlier in the night at Leopold Sportsman’s Club.
“I knew him from going to the club,” she said.
“I said hello to him for 40 seconds and that was it.
“I went home, cooked dinner and went to bed. He must have followed me home.”
After the assault, the woman said she went to live with her mother.
“My children went to stay at their dad’s (house) and I moved in with mum,” she said.
“I was too afraid to go home. It was awful.
“If I heard a noise I would be in a ball of tears.”
The woman said she was “lucky” her five daughters were not home during the incident.
“Thank God, they weren’t home. Who knows what would have happened,” she said.
“I’m so frightened now.”
The woman said she was disappointed Koningen had not ended up behind bars.
She feared the verdict had set a precedent for judgment of other sex offenders.
“He should have got more – it makes me sick to think about it,” the woman said.
“I’m glad it’s over but he shouldn’t have gotten away with it.
“I’ll never forget what happened. It will stay with me forever.”