Orange's 'appalling' domestic violence rates in the spotlight following vile assault

The impassioned plea came during sentencing for a man convicted of violently abusing his long-term partner in front of their young children.

Scissors were held to the woman's throat when she refused to drop the man at a property in East Orange. He later punched her in the head when she attempted to drive to a police station.

Orange Local Court heard the man - who is not named to protect the identity of the victim - had suffered significant trauma throughout his own childhood.

He has spent more than 75 per cent of adult life in jail, and will remain behind bars as a result of the recent incident.

"It's appalling ... we must make an attempt to break the cycle," magistrate David Day said during the audio visual link hearing at Orange Local Court.

"The prevalence of domestic violence in this area is higher than anywhere else in NSW, other than Quakers Hill."

Statistics published by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) show 332 domestic violence incidents were reported to police in Orange between July 2021 and June 2022.

This equated to about 7.8 incidents per 1000 people - well over double the NSW average. Dubbo and Bathurst also ranked towards the top of the list.

A 2021 report found at least 60 per cent of domestic and family violence victims don't report their abuse, suggesting the real number could be much higher.

In September Orange Police told media domestic violence is becoming significantly more common in the region.

"Domestic violence is the most common crime that we attend," inspector Brett Smith said at the time.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on the Central Western Daily website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. Sign up for a subscription here.