Former football-listed player jailed for 12 years and two months

Former AFL- and NRL-listed player Shem Tatupu has been sentenced in the Victorian Supreme Court to twelve years and two months in prison for a prolonged assault on a former partner. The thirty-year-old received a nine-year non-parole period after pleading guilty to non-fatal strangulation, intentionally causing serious injury and common assault.

The court heard that the attack took place in Melbourne's south-east last year after the woman tried to end their relationship. The sentencing judge described her account of the harm as strong and courageous and recognised the lasting physical and psychological consequences.

Tatupu had previously been listed with Hawthorn and Melbourne Storm. His sporting background does not lessen the seriousness of the offences. The report describes a guilty plea and sentence, rather than allegations awaiting a verdict.

The minimum period before parole eligibility is not the full sentence and does not guarantee release after nine years. The court also heard evidence about earlier violence and Tatupu's personal history. The woman is not identified here, and graphic details of the attack have been omitted while retaining the nature of the convictions and the sentence imposed.