WARNING: Indigenous people are warned that this story contains images of a deceased person.
TWO out of three women killed by a partner were fleeing the relationship or it had just ended, and three quarters of them were stalked by their ex before being murdered, a startling and detailed report reveals.
Around one in four men who killed their ex had no history of physical violence.
The NSW State Coroner's comprehensive analysis of the 1832 homicides in the years between 2000 and 2022 says almost one third of that total were domestic violence related.
More than half of those 550 deaths involved a person killing their current or former partner, and of those, four in five involved a man killing a woman.
That number is too big, says Lorraine Williams, whose daughter Carly McBride is among them.
Ms McBride was murdered by her boyfriend, Sayle Kenneth Newson, in a jealous and ice-fuelled rage in 2014.
He bashed her and dumped her body in bushland outside Scone.
Her family had to endure a more than two-year wait before her body was found. It was another year before Newson was charged.
"It's not on," Ms Williams said.
"It's still going on, and it's got to stop ... it's very distressing, very upsetting. Every day, nearly, someone is taken by their partner, somewhere."
Her daughter was a proud Bundjalung woman, an adoring mother of two, an animal lover and a devoted nurse.
She had aspirations of becoming a vet after working as an aged-care and mental health nurse, often alongside her mother.
But during the last eight years of her life she struggled "very much", and there was never enough help, Ms Williams said.
The report says that over 40 per cent of people killed in a context of domestic violence lived in disadvantaged areas, and almost one in five (19 per cent) identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.
"My family, we're still all over the shop with it, still," she said.
"It has a domino effect. It's taken a toll on the family, and the children ... they are tough little cookies like Carly, but it's just not right."
Newson was convicted seven years after Ms McBride's death, at the end of an eight-week trial. He was jailed for a maximum of 27 years, with a non-parole period of 19 years and nine months, making him eligible for parole in August 2038.
Newson was a professional Muay Thai fighter, and Ms McBride had a slight frame. The jury found Newson intended to kill her when he hit her repeatedly, leaving her with 36 fractures to her skull and back.
"The injuries inflicted by the offender were extreme, bespeaking an attack of unrestrained brutality," Sentencing Judge Justice Mark Ierace said when handing down Newson's sentence in 2021.
Other findings contained in the Domestic Violence Deaths Review Team report include that other homicides previously not considered in domestic violence-related death counts most often involved a man killing his ex-partner's new male partner.
One in five domestic violence-related homicides involved a filicide, or a parent killing a child, with over a third of those involving children aged one year or less.
State Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan, convenor of the team, described it as the most detailed data review undertaken to date.
"(It) comes at a pivotal juncture, as the national conversation coalesces on the pervasive issue of domestic violence context homicide and gender-based violence more broadly," Magistrate O'Sullivan said.
"The report highlights that the fatal impact of domestic violence extends beyond the intimate partner context and provides crucial insights to guide policy makers, service providers and advocates in preventing, responding to and aiding recovery for all victims of domestic and family violence."
Dr Hannah Tonkin, NSW Women's Safety Commissioner and member of the DVDRT, said every domestic violence-related homicide was a tragedy.
"These are lives cut short, families destroyed, and children left behind to deal with unimaginable trauma," Dr Tonkin said.
The persistent overrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in domestic violence deaths in particular was revealed.
Christine Robinson, CEO of the Wirringa Baiya Aboriginal Women's Legal Centre and DVDRT member, said it was vital this overrepresentation was understood in the context of the ongoing impact of colonialisation and the disempowerment of Aboriginal peoples.
"These may seem like historical factors to some, but the direct and cumulative impact on our people is still evident today," Ms Robinson said.
"Aboriginal communities need to be empowered to address transgenerational trauma and provided the tools and resources for self-determination and decision making. Culturally appropriate tailored programs and localised responses are critical to driving positive change."
Where to find help:
- Domestic Violence Hotline: 1800656463
- Staying Home Leaving Violence, Lake Macquarie: 49439255
- Hunter Womens Centre: 49682511
- Westlakes Women and Childrens Refuge: 49501566
- Hunter Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Service: 49408766
