A woman believed to be in her 20s has died after she was assaulted at a home in the Hunter Valley. A 30-year-old man known to her was arrested at the home and is in police custody.
Police officers from the Hunter-Port Stephens police district went to the home in Rutherford just before 5am on Monday morning.
The woman was attended to by paramedics at the scene but could not be revived. The man was arrested and taken to Maitland Police Station. No charges have been laid yet.
According to Sherele Moody’s Australian Femicide Watch, she is the 45th Australian woman killed this year. Most of these woman were killed by men they knew.
Police charge 856 people with DV offences
The woman’s death comes after police in New South Wales charged 865 people with 2,028 offences during a four-day operation targeting domestic and family violence.
‘Operation Amarok XI’ ran from Wednesday 13 August to Saturday 16 August. During the operation, police conducted 1,590 bail compliance checks and 12,468 apprehended domestic violence order compliance checks. There were 669 breaches identified by police.
Police said 87 firearms and 31 weapons were seized.
“Police are called to an incident of domestic violence every three minutes in NSW, and we need to ask ourselves as a society, why do we keep putting up with this? There should be absolutely no tolerance for this type of offending,” said Acting Deputy Commissioner Peter McKenna.
“We encourage anyone to come forward to police and report their concerns, we will investigate.”
In NSW, domestic violence is the biggest issue police deal with. It accounts for about 60 per cent of its workload.
Domestic violence-related assaults have increased over the past two years to March 2025, according to the latest update from NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research. Data shows domestic violence-related assaults increased by 3.6 per cent, with rises recorded in eight of 13 regional NSW areas and three of 15 Greater Sydney locations.
If you or someone you know is experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, domestic, family or sexual violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, text 0458 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au for online chat and video call services.
If you are concerned about your behaviour or use of violence, you can contact the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491 or visit http://www.ntv.org.au.
Feeling worried or no good? No shame, no judgement, safe place to yarn. Speak to a 13YARN Crisis Supporter, call 13 92 76. This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.