Sydney domestic violence crisis laid bare, man charged over alleged threats outside court

Alleged threats to leak an ex’s nudes before getting into court, a man who whipped his wife with a cable and another who slapped a teenage girl — this is just one day in a chaotic Sydney DV court.

A heavily tattooed man brazenly threatened his ex in front of a police officer outside a western Sydney court this week, in just one example of NSW’s crippling domestic violence crisis.

Not long after the doors had opened at Blacktown Local Court for its dedicated DV day on Wednesday, Cody Chadwick was arrested outside for allegedly threatening to expose the woman’s intimate images.

He was just one of the 62 names on the DV list that day. Inside court one, the magistrate dealt with 35 apprehended violence orders and 27 offenders charged with DV offences.

One man was there because he slapped a teenage girl; another allegedly whipped his wife with wire; others ranged from breaching no-contact orders to physical assaults.

The chaotic scenes would continue throughout the day - the sheer number of cases meant the courtrooms were packed and there was no lunch break, just so the court could deal with the wave of offenders.

Chadwick, pictured, during his arrest on Wednesday. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

He was initially at court for an AVO. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Inside during one case, involving a family dispute, a woman asking for an AVO was told by Magistrate Deborah Maher: “Saying you feared for your life because of one phone call is a bit over the top”.

The young woman was asking for the protection after a relative was charged with assaulting her last year, pleading to have a “no contact” order added to the AVO already in place.

The packed court list mean lunch had to be cut to 15 minutes by one magistrate. Picture: Angelo Velardo

Though she had blocked the relative on all platforms, they would often use the phone of another family member to reach her despite the woman insisting she be left alone.

“There are lots of families who don’t want to speak,” the magistrate told her, declining to add the extra condition.

In the police station next door the man who had allegedly started the earlier altercation with his ex, 27-year-old Chadwick, was charged with breaching an AVO, threatening to distribute her intimate images and destroying property before briefly fronting court the same day.

An undercover officer had pounced on him on the street before he had the chance to enter court for his AVO hearing.

Shuvadip Hor, who avoided being handed a conviction. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Another case would see an intellectually gifted 31-year-old avoid a conviction for the fourth time after pleading guilty to slapping a young girl not living with him across the face.

Shuvadip Hor, the court heard, earned a 96 score on his ATAR and a degree from UNSW but Magistrate Maher said “it was all downhill from there”.

His lawyer unsuccessfully attempted to have the case dismissed under mental health grounds, but told the court he had family support and had completed a rehabilitation program to deal with his alcohol dependency.

Court documents paint a disturbing picture about why police had charged him with one count of domestic violence related common assault in the first place.

In the early hours of the morning Hor was locked outside of a property when the teenage girl found the key to let him back inside, the statement of facts said.

Hor’s lawyer argued the significant support he had meant rehabilitation was likely. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Minutes later after drinking alcohol and playing loud music, the young girl told police, Hor slapped her across the face because she could not hear what he was saying to her.

Despite the young girl telling Hor to go away, he would stay on the edge of her bed, stating: “I want to talk about what happened”.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Mohit Kumar would argue Hor had all the training, support from his family and a counsellor life coach and several previous criminal charges to warrant a conviction on his record this time.

He was still not given a conviction by Magistrate Maher and handed a two-year conditional release order.

Others like Vincent Tropiano, who was fighting an AVO but no criminal charges, would have an email read out in court which he had sent, saying he believed his accuser was “crazy” before his case was adjourned to a later date.

“Unless you’ve been living under a rock the past few weeks, this DV stuff is all over the news and they are going to change the laws soon,” Magistrate Maher warned to one offender.

Vincent Tripiano, like many in court, was challenging an AVO but has not been charged with any criminal offences. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

The packed court, where often standing was the only option, would see alleged offenders from all walks of life — both men and women, some from middle class backgrounds, others with English as their second language.

There were also many young men, like Musad Musa who appeared on several charges of stalking and intimidating and domestic violence assault that he has pleaded not guilty to.

Just the day before in the same court a man walked free after his case was dismissed because the alleged victim would not attend the proceedings to give evidence.

Police claimed he had been “escalating” in his assaults on his wife to eventually whipping her with a phone charger cable, which his lawyer Mary Faiz denied.

Musad Musa, who is contesting assault and intimidation charges. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Occasionally female victims of domestic violence would find space in the court’s pews, or in separate rooms when approached by liaison officers trained specifically in support for the most difficult cases.

One, who asked not to be named, told of how despite the charges against her partner she needed AVO conditions removed because she struggled to pay the bills at home without him.

Blacktown, like many police commands across the city, refuses to wind back AVO conditions at a victim’s request as perpetrators often psychologically manipulate their spouses as well as violently abuse them.

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