Apprehended Violence Orders (AVO’s)

If you are served with an AVO, you will be required to appear in court.

AVO’s can be a private AVO or police AVO. These are considered civil proceedings in court, not criminal proceedings. An AVO can, however, give rise a criminal proceeding if an avo is breached – an AVO breach is a criminal offence.

Having an AVO does have its consequences- it affects family court proceedings in child custody disputes, working with children clearance checks, firearms licence/permit and tenancy agreements.

An AVO order restricts or prohibits a defendant from contacting or from doing certain things to the person(s) who’s in need of protection referred to commonly as the ‘protected person’ in the AVO. This is achieved by the terms of the AVO conditions in NSW.

A police AVO is an AVO issued by police on behalf of the protected person, and is usually related to a criminal charge that the defendant is also facing. Common charges relating to AVOs include assault charged, intimidation charges, threat or damage property charges.

A private AVO will normally NOT be related to a criminal charge.

If you have been served with an AVO, we at Sydney-Lawyers.com can assist you. Contact us to speak with one of our lawyers.