Kay Nesbit

Kay Nesbit is a victim's rights advocate and public speaker in Australia. Nesbit suffered a shotgun wound that eventually led to 57 operations to reconstruct her face. She later became a victim's rights advocate, public speaker and ran for office in Victoria.

Biography

Nesbit grew up on a farm in New Zealand near Christchurch.^[1] In 1977, she moved to Melbourne.^[1]

Nesbit's flatmate had been trying to avoid her boyfriend.^[1] Nesbit was shot on 11 September 1985 after she told Paul Terrance Mallinder via note that her flatmate didn't want to see him anymore.^[2][3][4] Nesbit survived the gunshot, but lost her jaw, part of her nose and her right eye.^[5] To help her out, more than $205,000 was raised on her behalf in 1986.^[6] The medical team at Alfred Hospital who reconstructed her face used other parts of her body to repair her damaged face.^[7][3][8] By 1993, she had completed 31 surgeries at Alfred Hospital.^[9] Eventually, she would have a total of 57 operations.^[10]

She has become an advocate for victims' rights.^[11] Nesbit began to start public speaking and telling her story in 1999.^[12] She stood in the 2002 Victorian state election as an independent but was not elected.^[4]

Nesbit's attacker, Mallinder, was found not guilty of "wounding with intent to cause murder" but guilty of "wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm"^[13] and sentenced to the maximum permissible 15 years in prison, which was reduced on appeal to 13 years with an 11-year non-parole period.^[14] He was released from prison after serving seven years.^[4]