Domestic violence offender dodges jail after holding knife to partner’s throat in NSW Central Tablelands

A radio broadcaster has criticised a NSW court for not sending a man who held a knife to his partner’s throat while children were inside the home to prison.

A man avoided full-time jail after grabbing his partner’s face and held a knife to her throat. File picture

A man who admitted to grabbing his partner’s face while holding a knife to her throat in the state’s Central Tablelands has been handed an intensive correction order and avoided full-time behind bars.

The domestic violence incident occurred while the couple’s children were inside the home near Orange on March 1, the Central Western Daily reported.

The man consumed about six long necks of Tooheys New, and the victim drank a bottle of Moscato as they watched TV with one of their children.

During the altercation, the man threw a plastic drink bottle at the TV, smashing it, and prompting the child to retreat to their room.

The man approached the victim from behind while she was unaware, sitting on the lounge.

The matter was held at Orange Local Court. Picture: Dylan Robinson

He grabbed her face, pulled her head back against the lounge and held a knife to her throat while shouting.

Shortly after, he dropped the knife.

The woman picked up her phone and saw him put the knife back in the kitchen and she ran outside and called triple-0.

The man then left the residence in his car.

Police arrived shortly after, documenting the damaged TV, the knife, and the scene.

The man was later arrested on the Mitchell Highway at Orange.

He was already facing an intimidation charge against his mother-in-law from February.

The 40-year-old man, who is unnamed to protect the victims and children, appeared in Orange Local Court for sentencing on July 3. He was on bail at the time.

Police Commissioner Karen Webb lashed out at DV offenders in a Daily Telegraph interview last week. Picture: Jeremy Piper

The Central Western Daily reported that Solicitor Emily Lucas stated that the man pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity to intimidating his mother-in-law, damaging a TV, and later to using an offensive weapon with intent to commit an indictable offence.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Carl Smith countered Ms Lucas’s statement, asserting that the man “most definitely” exceeded the custody threshold.

Magistrate David Day noted that the man had a prior high-range drink-driving charge in 2011, in addition to these current offences.

Mr Day sentenced the man to a two-year and six-month intensive correction order, effective from July 3, 2024, to January 2, 2027, for domestic violence property damage, using an offensive weapon with intent to commit an indictable offence, and intimidation.

As part of his sentence, the man must abstain from alcohol and participate in rehabilitation and treatment programs.

Ray Hadley criticised the court’s decision to impose a non-custodial sentence, saying “you’ve done the city of Orange a great disservice.”

“What about the victim? She lives in fear. He held a knife to her throat,” Hadley said on Monday morning.

Ray Hadley, 2GB broadcaster, criticised the court’s decision.

The 2GB radio presenter called on the Attorney-General to step in.

“Will there be an appeal? Well, there probably should be by the police because it was in the local court,” he said.

“But surely the Attorney-General, someone can dial a number for him … and find someone who so what are we going to do about this?

“Instead of him sitting idly by and letting it happen time and time and time again.”

The veteran broadcaster also claimed that a convicted DV offender from Pappinbarra near Port Macquarie lied about being a member of the RFS ahead of his court hearing.

The man was found guilty of nine offences including choking and assault occasioning actual bodily harm after a terrifying tirade against his ex.

He was sentenced to a two year intensive correction order with 100 hours’ community service.

The court heard that he was a well-respected member of his local RFS brigade but after some inquiries, Hadley claimed that this was not the case.

“You wouldn’t believe it, you probably would, the RFS came back and said, ‘Ray, we’ve got no history of (the accused) being a member of the RFS,’” Hadley said during his program.

“So what he just tells his lawyer, ‘I’m a good bloke and I put out fires with the RFS’ and that’s a mitigating factor when I’m coming to sentence.

“And no one ever checks that he actually is in the RFS.”

The blast comes in response to The Daily Telegraph’s campaign aimed at changing community attitudes towards ‘domestic violence’.

The Daily Telegraph launched the campaign on Friday, unmasking 18 convicted DV offenders across NSW by changing the language and by calling out perpetrators and calling them what they are — cowards.

In NSW there are about 2500 reports of domestic violence to the police every month – but this likely represents only 40 per cent of actual incidents due to underreporting.

As of this week, 41 Australian women have died at the hands of someone they know this year.

Australian women are nearly three times more likely than men to experience violence from an intimate partner.

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