Skip to main content

Domestic Violence

'I just panicked': Woman tells inquest she had no idea she had hit and killed partner with car

Melissa Oates says she heard a "bang" and "panicked", but insists she had no idea she had struck her partner with her vehicle at high speed while he walked home late at night. But an inquest into Jari Wise's 2020 death has heard evidence at odds with her account.
Updated
A young woman and a man smile for a selfie while sitting in a car.

Police charge 18yo with murder over shooting north of Brisbane

The man allegedly shot a 29-year-old Deception Bay woman inside a unit complex before calling triple-0.
Police cars parked in a driveway near a crime scene

'That includes me': Tasmanian magistrates ruled out from hearing criminal case against Supreme Court Justice

An interstate magistrate will be called in to hear a criminal case involving Tasmanian Supreme Court judge Gregory Geason. Justice Geason has pleaded not guilty to charges of common assault, and emotional abuse or intimidation. 
Updated
A middle aged man in a black legal gown sits in a wood-lined court room.

Woman's horrific ordeal at hands of 20yo man detailed as he is sentenced to a decade in prison

A young Tasmanian man who accused his then-girlfriend of cheating on him, then subjected her to 48 hours of horrific abuse, is sentenced to a decade in prison.
Tasmania Police scene tape, generic image.

Men's family violence behaviour change program in need of funding boost as demand soars

Jake feels a behaviour change program focused on fatherhood helped him stop his violent behaviour. But the organisation that delivers Caring Dads says it needs more funding given the high rates of family violence.
Updated
A woman holds her child and covers her face in the background, a broken cup on the floor and a man's legs in the foreground

Laura's brother abused her. She says bringing him to justice has been harder than it should be

Child sexual abuse survivor Laura Rowe speaks out following the conviction of her brother. She says the justice system needs to be overhauled to make it easier for others to navigate.
A woman with long blond hair and a beige blazer sits in a chair at a tram stop

Stabbing victim who dated man of different faith got more than '2,500 texts and calls' in lead-up to attack

A young woman stabbed at an Adelaide shopping centre car park by her father who disapproved of her relationship with a man of a different faith, was inundated with texts and calls as her attackers tried to track her down, a court document reveals.
Updated
A CCTV still shows perpetrator walking and holding what police allege is a knife.

Lutfiye's husband was jailed for trying to kill her. She says the words 'I'm still here' are powerful

Lutfiye Kavci's husband was imprisoned last year for attempting to stab her to death. The Shepparton woman hopes sharing her story will help empower other victim-survivors.
A close up photo of a woman staring out across a lake

Tasmanian Supreme Court judge faces new charges in New South Wales

Justice Gregory Geason has been charged with criminal offences in New South Wales, in addition to two earlier charges in Tasmania, which he has pleaded not guilty to. The NSW charges are in relation to allegations he breached an apprehended domestic violence order on three dates.
Justice Gregory Geason photographed in court in his gown.

'Your actions are absolutely condemned': Former TV host Andrew O'Keefe sentenced for assaulting woman

The 52-year-old is convicted by a Sydney magistrate of common assault, common assault occasioning actual bodily harm, breaching an AVO and drug possession.
Updated
Andrew O'Keefe addresses the media wearing a suit and red glasses

How Kirsty survived financial abuse and bankruptcy to buy a new home

The domestic violence survivor is determined to show there is 'light at the end of the tunnel' for victims of coercive control.
ABC News Current
Duration: 2 minutes 3 seconds

How Kirsty rebuilt her financial independence and credit rating after domestic violence and bankruptcy

Determined for a better life for her children, a regional South Australian woman has gone from bankrupt to home owner. Kirsty experienced financial abuse, and wants others to know it is possible to rebuild their lives.
Updated
A woman with strawberry blonde hair smiles in a field of flowers.

Gender-based violence survivors call for urgent action

Gender-based violence is one of India's biggest problems affecting women, and the latest calls for action come after a 16-year-old girl was brutally killed in new Delhi in December.
ABC News Current
Duration: 2 minutes 14 seconds

Queensland domestic violence homicide rate rises 50 pc in one year

About a third of the alleged killers had a domestic violence order against them — or had contact with police in the 12 months before the deaths.
Updated
A woman sitting in the dark.

analysis:Is a political stoush between Zempilas and Carey getting in the way of helping vulnerable women?

The longer the Safe Night Space saga drags on, the longer some of the state's most vulnerable women will have one less safe place to shelter, writes state political reporter Keane Bourke. 
Updated
Two well dressed men in a composite image.

ACT domestic violence reports rise 10 per cent in 2023

Victim-survivor advocates say the issue is worse than the statistic suggests and demand for help and support has grown direr.
Updated
ABC News Current
Duration: 1 minute 56 seconds

Canberra's crime statistics appear to tell a good story — but there's a concerning anomaly

While a police crackdown on dangerous driving had an impact, the ACT's crime statistics for last year reveal a concerning story, with reports of family violence continuing to increase behind closed doors.
A woman holds her child and covers her face in the background, a broken cup on the floor and a man's legs in the foreground

Vulnerable women caught in ongoing safe space stalemate between WA government and City of Perth

The state government officially rejects a City of Perth-backed solution to reopen a critical overnight shelter which closed last year, prolonging a stalemate directly affecting vulnerable women.
Updated
An old brick building at night with lights on inside.

Killer Robert Farquharson's name has been chiselled off his sons' graves. Now he's lost the right to control them

Robert Farquharson, who killed his three sons, is the first convicted killer or serious criminal to have his rights to control the graves of his children taken away.
Updated
Full photo of Farquharson family grave, taken from one side.

Olympic rower Simon Burgess pleads guilty to family violence order breaches

The Tasmanian rowing champion who won silver at the 2004 Athens Olympics pleads guilty over breaches of a family violence order and injury to property.
Updated
A man with a wreath on his head stands on a podium with a medal

Elderly man accused of murdering wife excused from court due to infection and delirium

A 91-year-old Adelaide man accused of murdering his wife, Maria Dimasi, at their suburban home in December, is excused from his court hearing after a magistrate heard he is suffering from illness.
A close up of an older woman wearing a black chef's hat and apron reading 'Nonna's Cucina'

Man accused of murdering his mother by lighting her house on fire faces court

Shannon James Doble, 42, appeared via video-link less than 12 hours after his mother, Nerol, died from injuries suffered in the blaze in southern New South Wales.
Updated
Elderly woman with short grey hair and man with blue single and shaved head

Jane reported her husband for domestic violence. Days later police charged her with assault

A Sydney woman wins a lengthy court battle to clear her name after being charged with assaulting her husband, who she claims was abusing her.
Updated
A silhouette of domestic violence victim Jane

Sydney woman acquitted of assault after three-year court battle

A secret recording between the woman and her partner was the catalyst for a magistrate to dismiss the charges.
Updated
ABC News Current
Duration: 2 minutes 12 seconds

Alice Springs has one of the world's highest DV rates. Its only women's shelter has just received $4m

In a town with one of the highest rates of domestic violence in the country, the only women's crisis accommodation has received a $4 million boost in funding.
Updated
People and cars on a busy street in the Alice Springs CBD as the sun sets on the horizon.