Katherine man faces murder charge following NT’s eighth alleged domestic violence death since June

The 68-year-old man, who was arrested in Katherine last month for alleged domestic violence, is expected to have the charge against him upgraded to murder after his partner died at the Royal Darwin Hospital.

The 61-year-old woman succumbed to serious injuries late last week, a month after she was allegedly attacked by a man in the Northern Territory town of Katherine on October 12.

The man, whose name police have not released, was arrested and has remained behind bars since the incident.

NT Police Force Assistant Commissioner Travis Wurst said the pair had been in an “on and off” relationship for several years and police claimed he had a history of domestic violence.

The woman’s death is the eighth death in the NT since June this year, allegedly at the hands of her partner or a family member.

Katherine Women’s Indigenous Legal Service issued a statement following the news of the woman’s death, expressing “deep sadness”.

The service said she was the fourth woman killed in the Big Rivers area in four months.

“We once again call on all levels of government to come together and march along the Great Rivers as we work on solutions for prevention, response, recovery and recovery,” the statement said. he said.

Across the country, 57 women have been killed so far this year, with the NT, with a population of just over 250,000, accounting for around 10 per cent of that figure.

Senior police criticize media’s handling of crisis

Assistant Commissioner Wurst criticized media coverage of the NT’s extremely high rates of domestic violence, saying it did not give “a voice to these people who don’t have a voice – because they have passed”.

“I know there are cultural considerations that we need to take into account, and that is extremely important,” he said.

“But at the same time, the media can give these people a voice and a platform.

“A voice that will ensure that Indigenous people in the Northern Territory (because they are the ones predominantly victimized in this way) are platformed and understood on the national stage.

It comes as the findings of a landmark six-month inquest into the deaths of four Indigenous women murdered by their partners in the NT are due to be released in Alice Springs next week.