CONTENT WARNING: This article discusses domestic violence.
A New South Wales man has become the first person to plead guilty under the state’s new coercive control legislation in a landmark case which will influence the way abusive relationships are policed state-wide. The plea comes after he was arrested for telling his wife, “I’m going to murder you” and smashing her phone.
The woman — who, along with the man, must remain anonymous due to a suppression order — reported her husband to Leeton police station on July 26, almost one month after the legislation had gone into effect.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, she tearfully told police officers that her husband controlled her access to money, whether she could leave the home and who she had contact with.
Her report came after years of domestic violence-related incidents, including being hit over the head, and chased with a knife and axe. The woman told police that although the abuse had been going on for a while, it wasn’t taken seriously in her home country. When the couple and their children moved to Leeton, she says the abuse worsened.
At first, the woman was too scared to officially report her husband. However, after one occasion when he accused her of seeing other men, smashed her phone, kicked her and locked her in the house, she went to the police station with concerns over her safety.
That same day her husband was arrested and became the first person charged with coercive control in NSW, along with four other domestic violence offences.
One offence has since been dropped, however, he pleaded guilty to the four other charges. The man is on bail until his sentencing in Griffith Local Court in December.
NSW’s Coercive Control Legislation explained
In July, the Crimes Legislation Amendment (Coercive Control) Act 2022 No.65 came into effect in NSW after it was first passed in the NSW Parliament in 2022.
As a result, NSW police officers received updated training on how to enforce the laws and recognise the signs of coercive control.
This legislation labelled coercive control as a criminal offence in current and former intimate partner relationships. Under the new laws, offenders face a maximum penalty of seven years imprisonment. However, they do not act retrospectively, meaning that it does not apply to instances of coercive control before July 1, 2024.
Coercive control is when partners in an intimate relationship use abusive and manipulative behaviours to dominate and control the other. This can be done through threats of violence, surveillance, withholding money, intimidation and insults.
In September 2023, the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (Bocsar) carried out text-mining research into the prevalence of coercive control within domestic violence incidents. Its findings revealed that 57 per cent of DV reports include reference to at least one coercive controlling behaviour.
“Findings suggest that the majority of DV assaults and breach Apprehended Domestic Violence Order offences involve coercive control elements,” Executive Director Jackie Fitzgerald said at the time.
“We will closely monitor DV charges and patterns as coercive control becomes a standalone criminal offence in July 2024.”
NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna says the recent legislation allows police to protect victims by looking for behaviours that in the past wouldn’t have resulted in a domestic violence charge.
“Police are no longer [just] looking for a black eye or a broken nose,” he said, per The Sydney Morning Herald.
“Now when someone comes in to report that their partner is behaving in a certain way, police straight away can recognise it might be a matter of coercive control and know to ask the appropriate questions.”
Help is available.
- If you require immediate assistance, please call 000.
- If you’d like to speak to someone about domestic violence, please call the 1800 Respect hotline on 1800 737 732 or chat online.
- Under 25? You can reach Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 or chat online.
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