A 24-year-old woman was forced to leap from a second story balcony holding her three-month-old baby after her husband allegedly locked her in the unit and assaulted her .
The woman told police her estranged defacto husband had taken her and their three- month-old son to his Sheirs Street unit in The Narrows around 11pm on Friday night. Once there, he began a prolonged physical attack on her including punching and threatening her with a knife before cutting off all her clothes. Just before daybreak on Saturday the alleged offender left the unit, locking the victim and her son in.
In an effort to escape the woman then jumped off the second floor balcony with her baby. A short time afterwards, the 28-year-old man returned and found the pair on the ground. He took the baby back upstairs before returning to continue assaulting the victim by kicking her and dragging her by the hair.
The man fled when an ambulance and police arrived after neighbours reported the disturbance.
The woman and child were taken to hospital where she was treated for a severely broken leg and other injuries. The baby was uninjured.
Police investigations led to the arrest of the man on Sunday.
He has been charged with:
Deprivation of liberty (2)
Aggravated assault (9)
Making threats (2)
Threats to kill (1)
Criminal damage (1)
He has been remanded in custody to appear in the Darwin Magistrates Court today.
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