Woman’s Clothes Destroyed in DV Incident

A 42-year-old man has been charged following an alleged domestic violence incident in Port Stephens.

Police were called around 8:00 PM on Thursday, 21 August 2025, to a motel on the Pacific Highway, Heatherbrae, after reports a woman’s clothing had been placed in a bathtub and destroyed by a man known to her.

Officers from the Port Stephens-Hunter Police District attended, but the man had left the scene. Further inquiries revealed he allegedly intimidated the woman and breached an Apprehended Violence Order (AVO) on multiple occasions since Monday, 11 August 2025.

Following an investigation by the Hunter Domestic Violence High-Risk Offender Team, police arrested the man at a unit on Port Stephens Drive, Salamander Bay, at approximately 10:50 AM on Thursday, 18 September 2025.

He was taken to Nelson Bay Police Station and charged with seven offences, including:

• Three counts of contravening a domestic AVO
• Two counts of stalking or intimidation with intent to cause fear of physical harm (domestic)
• Contravening a third or subsequent AVO within 28 days (domestic)
• Destroying or damaging property (domestic violence)

The man was refused bail and is due to appear before Bail Division Court 2 today, Friday, 19 September 2025.