Men who abuse partners ‘manipulate court systems to escape conviction’

MEN who abuse their partners are manipulating the court system to escape convictions, according to the project piloted to tackle the problem.

Don Hennessy, director of the National Domestic Violence Intervention Agency, says it would cost nothing to dramatically reform the sector but to do so would require a fundamental shift in how domestic violence is treated.

He said judges are currently making decisions on scant information read to the court without any independent third-party opinion.