Shem Tatupu must serve at least nine years behind bars before he can be considered for parole. The 30-year-old former cross-code sportsman was sentenced in the Victorian Supreme Court on Monday, according to 1News.
He pleaded guilty to intentionally causing serious injury, non-fatal strangulation, and common assault. Tatupu has already served 539 days in pre-sentence detention and could be released as early as 2034, 1News reported. He will likely face deportation to New Zealand once his sentence concludes, according to 1News.
The abuse began soon after the victim moved into a home Tatupu shared with his mother a month into their relationship in 2025, 1News reported. Tatupu questioned her phone messages, banned her from speaking to anyone at the gym, and demanded she quit her job as a dental nurse to act like a “traditional” woman, according to 1News.
“Over time your conduct made her feel like she was being suffocated and that she was on a leash,” Justice James Elliott said, as reported by 1News.
The victim attempted to end the relationship three months later after she could no longer tolerate his demands, 1News reported. Tatupu initially agreed to the breakup before subjecting her to “horrific and degrading” attacks over nine hours on May 19, 2025, according to centralwesterndaily.com.au.
He dragged her into a bedroom, punched her in the head, and strangled her until she lost her breath. The victim had to pretend she was dead to make him stop, 1News reported.
The woman managed to escape the bedroom during a subsequent attack in front of Tatupu’s mother, 1News reported. She ran outside, but Tatupu chased her down to a neighbour’s garage, held an 18.5cm knife to her neck, and stabbed her four times in the back of the head, according to 1News.
During the attack, he told the victim, “I let her get away, but not you,” referencing a previous partner, 1News reported. The victim sustained multiple skull fractures, with the tip of the knife remaining permanently embedded in one of the fractures, according to 1News.
Tatupu played 22 games for the Hawthorn VFL side before switching codes to join the Melbourne Storm in 2016, 1News reported. He is the son of New Zealand Warriors foundation player Tony Tatupu, according to 1News.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Minimum Sentence | Nine years |
| Total Head Sentence | 12 years and two months |
| Pre-sentence Detention | 539 days |
| Earliest Parole Date | 2034 |
Tatupu pleaded guilty to common assault, non-fatal strangulation, and intentionally causing serious injury, according to 1News.
The violent ordeal inside the home lasted for nine hours on May 19, 2025, 1News reported.
The victim sustained multiple skull fractures during the attack, and the tip of an 18.5cm knife remains permanently embedded in one of her skull fractures, according to 1News.