When Tara* took out her first intervention order against her partner in 2006, she'd already suffered a year of violence and abuse.

Steven* had ransacked their home while she was pregnant with their first baby — screaming at her and breaking the home phone and her mobile phone so she couldn't call for help.

Her loud cries for help prompted neighbours to call police.

It was later recorded in the police database as "a lover's tiff".

Over the next year, Steven would forcibly take their baby from the home, until police officers intervened.

His own sister would tell police Steven was a violent man who had once punched her too.

On one occasion it took six police officers to subdue him as he wreaked havoc in Tara's house after a two-day drinking spree.

It was after that incident that Tara took out the first of four intervention orders over seven years.

The order prohibited Steven from assaulting, threatening, contacting her or the children or being within 100 metres of their home when he was drunk.

But the violence didn't stop. Despite regularly reporting his attacks to police, she continued to suffer beatings.

"It's always been made my responsibility to check his behaviour, to keep myself and the kids safe," Tara said.

The allegations are detailed in a writ before the Supreme Court.

In a legal first, her lawyers are suing the State of Victoria claiming police at the two regional police stations breached their duty of care by failing to protect Tara and her three children.

It is a case the state has tried to have thrown out of court.

'The police dropped me off'

Tara was on the phone with police when Stephen arrived and was told to call triple-0. ( ABC News: Danielle Bonica )

On two occasions in 2006, it is alleged police officers, who were aware of the intervention orders, dropped Steven off near Tara's house.

The statement of claim states he was drunk when he turned up at the house, telling her he'd been dropped off by a police officer who he had played football with.

The second time, Tara said she watched a police car drive past the house, before she was bashed up and grabbed by the throat.

"Well who are you going to ring? The [police] dropped me off," he threatened.

The lawsuit alleges Victoria Police failed in its duty to protect Tara's family on at least six occasions.

The allegations include police mistakenly informing her an intervention order was in place, allowing an intervention order to be revoked by the court despite the man being a repeat offender, and failing to inform the family it had been revoked.

Police also did not investigate criminal damage caused to the home on several occasions, or charge Steven when he deliberately drove at his car at Tara at speed.

On one occasion when he called and threatened, "you wait till I get there, you dead c***", Tara was told by police they couldn't do anything until her partner turned up at the house.

Allegations of police negligence March 2006 — police dropped off Steven near house despite court order

March 2006 — police dropped off Steven near house despite court order May 2006 — police failed to investigate threats made

May 2006 — police failed to investigate threats made Feb 2008 — police failed to inform family IVO no longer in place

Feb 2008 — police failed to inform family IVO no longer in place May 2011 — police failed to inform family IVO had been revoked

May 2011 — police failed to inform family IVO had been revoked May, 2012 — police failed to tell family no active intervention order in place

May, 2012 — police failed to tell family no active intervention order in place Sept 2012 — police failed to investigate damage at the house despite threats

Sept 2012 — police failed to investigate damage at the house despite threats Jan 2014 — police didn't charge Steven for threatening Tara with a car Source: Supreme Court Amended Statement of Claim

When he did arrive, she was still on the phone to the local police station. She was told to hang up and call triple-0.

It's alleged when police got there, Tara's former partner had smashed a window, punched her in the face and held her by the throat while snatching for the car keys and threatening to take their baby daughter.

In February 2008, after she fled her home with her two children to escape the violence, Tara immediately told police Steven had left threatening messages and she feared he'd trash the house.

Her house was ransacked and the word 'SLUT' was scrawled over photographs, but police told her it would be difficult to prove her partner was to blame.

The statement of claim says an email sent internally to officers stated "the unusual conditions of the order" and the seriousness of the situation.

Yet on many occasions police officers didn't record the family violence into the police database, or gave conflicting information about whether the intervention orders were in place.

According to the writ, it was 2011 before Tara was finally referred to family violence services, after Steven attacked her while two of their daughters hid under a desk.

Tara would often not pursue charges, fearful it would make things worse and because she believed police had failed to protect her and her children in the past.

When Tara's house was ransacked police said it would be difficult to prove who had done it. ( ABC News: Danielle Bonica )

'I'm going to kill you'

In May 2011, police wanted to change the intervention order to restrict Steven from being at her house at all.

It was a move Tara resisted because she was concerned for her children's safety during access visits away from the house.

At the next court hearing, the father managed to have the third intervention order revoked completely.

It is alleged police never informed Tara it had been revoked. She says she only found out later, when Steven threatened to kill her.

According to the court documents, he forced his way into the house, smashing doors and yelling threats to the effect of "I'm going to kill you, you fat c***".

Tara said it wasn't fair that she should pay for Steven's train ticket home. ( ABC News: Danielle Bonica )

One of their daughters walked into the lounge as her father threw a lawnmower through the window.

He was charged with breaching an intervention order but charges were later dropped when it was realised the order was no longer in place.

The fourth and final intervention order was taken out in August, but that didn't stop Steven from driving his car at an accelerated speed towards her.

No charges were laid against him. Instead, the officers who attended told her that Steven would leave her alone if she paid for his train ticket home.

"So he gets to come to my house and be violent and abusive towards me, and I have to pay for his ticket so I can be safe," she said.

"I'm a single mum I don't have that much money. That's not fair."

That was the last intervention order Tara bothered to get.

When she was incorrectly told they couldn't move the court hearing to Melbourne to take out the next intervention order, she gave up.

Victoria Police fail to have case thrown out

Lawyers acting on behalf of the state have failed to have the case struck out.

They argued the 18 police named in the case owed no duty of care to the family, but Justice John Dixon ruled the matter will go to trial.

Victoria Police and the Victorian Government have declined to comment as the matter is before the courts.

"It felt terrible to sit in court and hear the state argue that they had no duty of care or responsibility to me or my children … I just wanted to give up," Tara said

"The state's assertion that Victoria Police has no duty of care to survivors of family violence has been crushing for women experiencing this violence," Verity Smith, a lawyer from the Flemington and Kensington Community Legal Centres, said.

"We welcome the court's comprehensive rejection of the state's application."

Both Victoria Police and the Victorian Government declined to comment as the matter is before the courts.

*Names have been changed.