Court rejects appeal to reduce sentence for repeat DV offender
NT court rejected appeal to reduce sentence for repeat domestic violence offender Keanu Ryder.
Justice Peter Barr dismissed all grounds of Ryder's appeal this month, declaring the three-year sentence "far from being clearly excessive". Ryder attacked a woman at Ali Curung in October while subject to a five-year non-contact order and suspended jail time.
Ryder smashed her phone, threw a frying pan at her head, and hurled a kitchen knife. Ryder then kicked and punched her as she lay bleeding.
A second woman who tried to stop the assault was pushed to the ground twice. Ryder had assaulted the same victim in April 2025 and was serving a suspended sentence for earlier violence.
NAAJA lawyer Jonathan Cooper represented him, arguing the sentence and two-year non-parole period were too harsh, but the court upheld the conviction and penalty.
Why it mattersShows courts will uphold sentences that protect victims even when free legal services appeal them, reinforcing domestic violence protections despite prior convictions.
AustraliaNT court rejects challenge to domestic violence sentence, signalling firm stance by Northern Territory courts on repeat offenders and order breaches.
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