Alcohol an issue in serious Hamilton domestic incident

Hamilton Police are warning of the risks of combining alcohol with volatile domestic situation following a violent incident in the west of the City overnight.

Detective Senior Sergeant Karl Thornton of the Hamilton CIB said officers attended a call for help at a Nawton address shortly after 8pm.

"It appears our 24-year-old female victim was at home with her 34-year-old male partner and the pair had been drinking for about three hours when the male suggested the woman go for a walk with him.

"When she has declined to go the man has gone into a rage and punched the woman about the head and face. While the woman has sought refuge in the kitchen the man has pulled out a diving knife he had strapped to his leg and thrust it at her."

Mr Thornton said as the woman slid to the floor the knife went past her, missing her face by an estimated 15cm, and embedded in a door.

"The victim has kicked and punched her way free and raised the alarm with Police, on arrival the man ran out of the house where he was arrested.

"Given the offender was intoxicated he was held in custody overnight, charged with male assaults female he will appear in the Hamilton District Court today and further charges are likely."

The victim was referred to Women's refuge and Victim Support to assist her through her ordeal.

While at the more violent end of the scale Hamilton Family Safety Team Supervisor, Sergeant Alan McGlade, said it wasn't unusual to find alcohol was a contributing factor in family violence incidents.

"There were 4,854 family violence offences recorded in the Waikato over the 2010/2011 Fiscal Year, 205 less than the previous year.

"While the reduction in the number of offences would suggest we are turning a corner in regards to family violence no longer being acceptable in our society we are heading into a period where pressures on families is at its greatest and there is a big demand for support services."

Mr McGlade said around 35 per cent of domestic incidents involve alcohol as a contributing factor.

"With summer and Christmas holidays approaching there is a lot of financial pressure on families, our message is that the answer doesn't lie in a bottle, if you need help seek it, before it becomes too late.