EXCLUSIVE
A woman whose husband punched her in the face during a holiday on a cruise has defended him as ‘a beacon of light in the darkness of my life’ in a letter to a court.
The woman used a victim impact statement to describe spouse Tony Lilo as ‘the best husband I could wish for’ despite him pleading guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
The attack, which a magistrate called ‘a serious example of domestic violence’, took place in March last year while the couple was on board the Celebrity Eclipse for a two-week cruise between Australia and New Zealand.
Lilo had taken exception to they way his wife of two years was spending money on gifts for family and friends and later accused her of having an affair with another passenger.
A verbal argument in their cabin escalated into the pair pushing each other, with Lilo punching his wife in the face after she accepted his challenge to slap him.
Lilo then forced his wife to the floor and straddled her legs after she kicked him in the chest and he had fallen backwards into a television cabinet.
When it was all over, Lilo said he was going to throw himself off the ship and told his wife if she called security it would be ‘the last thing she’d ever do’.
Daily Mail Australia has obtained a copy of the woman’s victim impact statement after it was tendered as part of Lilo’s case in Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court.
A woman whose husband punched her in the face during an international cruise has defended him as ‘a beacon of light in the darkness of my life’. The woman used a victim impact statement to describe spouse Tony Lilo (above) as ‘the best husband I could wish for’
In her letter to the presiding magistrate the woman wrote she did not see Lilo hit her and felt no pain afterwards, although she had sustained an injury to her jaw.
‘I experienced no pain or discomfort unless chewing,’ she said.
‘There were no bruises or outward signs of injury save for a few self-inflicted scratches.’
A statement of facts tendered for Lilo’s sentencing revealed the 39-year-old, from Guildford in Sydney’s west, had called his 48-year-old wife a ‘b***h’, a ‘c***’ and a ‘selfish c***’.
The same statement said Lilo pressed down on his wife’s neck while she was on the floor of the cabin, making it hard for her to breathe, and drew blood from a mole.
The couple spent the last night of the cruise in separate cabins before the Celebrity Eclipse docked in Sydney and have been apart ever since due to a restraining order.
The woman, who lives in Seattle in the US north-west, continues to support Lilo and downplayed the injuries she received in her victim’s impact statement to the court.
‘Any psychological harm I experienced due to Tony’s conduct that evening was extremely minimal,’ she wrote.
‘I have participated in multiple combat sports such as boxing, wrestling and sword fighting for approximately 35 years. I have sustained far worse injuries during sparring practice.’
Lilo and his wife, who Daily Mail Australia has chosen not to name, both have significant mental health problems and she claims not to have a clear memory of the assault.
‘I am unsure exactly how I was injured during the incident between Tony and I on the Celebrity Eclipse,’ she wrote.
‘During this incident, I was in an agitated manic state and suffering hallucinations and flashbacks, so I am not entirely sure what happened that day.
‘I didn’t see him hit me and felt no pain after I felt something touch my cheek. It’s possible that the injury was caused by the other sources.’
Lilo has a previous domestic matter on his criminal record from 2013 and his wife’s greatest concern was that another conviction might prevent him from joining her in the US.
‘I experienced almost no psychological harm from Tony’s conduct and have been far more deeply affected by these court proceedings and being separated from my beloved husband,’ she wrote.
Tony Lilo assaulted his wife while the couple was on board the Celebrity Eclipse (above) for a two-week cruise between Australia and New Zealand in March last year
‘Tony and I both suffer from significant mental health issues, and he has supported me through my worst days with tender care and understanding for nearly a decade.’
The court heard that a week before the couple embarked on the cruise Lilo’s father, who suffered from dementia, had attempted to assault his wife.
The woman wrote that traumatic event triggered ‘the worst mental health breakdown that I have experienced in my life’.
‘Tony was also deeply affected by this event,’ she wrote.
‘Unfortunately, when we needed each other the most, the [restraining order] imposed upon us prevented me from receiving the vital support that only Tony could provide.
‘He is the only person with whom I feel truly safe. Tony has never hit me or threatened me before.
‘This behavior is completely out of character. I am confident that this incident is a one-off reaction to extreme emotional distress and that it will never recur.’
The woman had been ‘anxious and stressed due to not knowing if Tony was OK’ over the almost 18 months they had been on opposite sides of the world.
‘Tony is the best husband I could wish for,’ she said. ‘He is incredibly thoughtful and attentive.
An argument between Tony Lilo and his wife in their cabin on the Celebrity Eclipse escalated into him punching her in the face. A similar state room is pictured
‘Tony is supportive of me physically, emotionally, and even learned the skills to give me specialized medical care which I need several times a week.
‘He is truly a beacon of light in the darkness and my life is better in every way with him in it.’
Lilo’s barrister, former Supreme Court judge Greg James KC, told magistrate Susan Horan on Tuesday that his client’s wife had made it clear she wanted to resume married life.
Mr James said Lilo had undergone counselling before and after the events on the ship and would continue seeking help through Relationships Australia.
Ms Horan noted Lilo had shown remorse for his actions but said the community had an expectation that perpetrators of domestic violence would be punished.
‘It can’t be said that this offence is of a trivial nature,’ she said.
‘Not only is it domestic violence, it is a serious example of domestic violence.’
Ms Horan convicted Lilo and sentenced him to a 12-month good behaviour bond. She also imposed a 12-month apprehended violence order to protect his wife.
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk