Hawthorms and Storm star Shem Tatupu jailed for 12 years for stabbing his lover in the head – after cops tried to rescue her from nine-hour torture ordeal

Former Hawthorn and Melbourne Storm player Shem Tatupu has been sentenced to 12 years and two months in prison. The 39-year-old pleaded guilty to common assault, non-fatal strangulation, and intentionally causing serious injury following a nine-hour attack on his girlfriend on May 19, 2025. Justice James Elliot set a non-parole period of nine years.

The court heard Tatupu repeatedly beat, strangled, and held the victim captive before stabbing her in the head with a kitchen knife. The victim suffered multiple skull fractures, with a knife tip remaining embedded in her skull. At the time of the assault, Tatupu was already serving a community correction order for assaulting a previous partner.