Village Voice News - National - Move to speed up domestic violence cases

Magistrates across NSW have been told that defendants accused of domestic violence should be given less time to enter a plea.

NSW Chief Magistrate Graeme Henson has issued a practice notice to magistrates, which sets out measures designed to speed up domestic violence cases brought before the courts.

The aim is to reduce the opportunity for delaying tactics and cut the amount of time from a charge to a hearing before a magistrate to less than three months.

"The court may require the accused person to enter a plea at the first time the matter is mentioned in court," Magistrate Henson says in the notice.

"If no plea can be entered at that time, the court will allow an adjournment of not more than seven days for a plea to be entered."

The practice note came into force in local courts in Sydney's Sutherland Shire and Campbelltown in late March, and courts in Penrith, Blacktown and Mount Druitt followed last month.

Courts in Albury, Forster, Batemans Bay and Bega will follow later this month.

NSW Attorney-General John Hatzistergos announced the move, saying an earlier trial of the seven-day plea provision had cut court times and increased the number of guilty pleas in domestic violence cases before Campbelltown and Wagga Wagga courts.

The median number of court days dropped from 120 to 56 during the trial, while the number of early domestic violence guilty pleas increased by more than 65 per cent.

"This approach effectively halved the time a domestic violence matter took at court and dramatically increased the number of guilty pleas," Mr Hatzistergos said in a statement.

"This is a fantastic result and will go a long way to reducing the stress of domestic violence victims by targeting delaying tactics by the accused."

Mr Hatzistergos said the chief magistrate's move also complemented new laws introduced in March, which created a specific offence for domestic violence.