Former AFL Player and Fashion Founder Shaun Edwards Charged in Domestic Violence Case
Shaun Patrick Edwards, a 32-year-old former Australian Football League (AFL) player turned fashion label founder, has been charged with serious domestic violence offences and is contesting both the criminal charges and a related domestic violence order. The case centres on an alleged incident that occurred in May 2025, leading to legal proceedings in Darwin.
Legal Proceedings and Charges
Edwards was initially issued a temporary restraining order in June 2025 following the alleged domestic violence incident. Subsequently, in February of this year, he was formally charged with aggravated assault, choking, and strangling. These charges are directly linked to the domestic violence order (DVO) application made against him.
During a hearing at Darwin Local Court on Friday, Edwards' lawyer, Vanessa Farmer, informed the court that her client intends to contest all three charges and the DVO. Farmer requested that the domestic violence order be lifted prior to the resolution of the criminal charges, arguing for separate hearings.
Judge's Ruling on Combined Hearings
Judge Therese Austin rejected the request for separate proceedings, stating that it could 'potentially take a long time' and would be 'highly prejudicial' to Edwards. She emphasised that holding two hearings where the protected person, the respondent, and all witnesses would give evidence and be cross-examined twice on the same domestic violence allegations is not in the interests of justice.
'Having two hearings where the protected person and the respondent give evidence and are cross-examined twice, and all the witnesses come to court traversing the same issues in a domestic violence allegation … is not in the interests of justice,' Judge Austin declared. The DVO application and criminal charges are now scheduled to be heard together during the criminal proceedings.
Background and Defence
Edwards is due to plead not guilty to the charges. In July last year, his previous lawyer, Matthew Huber, told the court that allegations of abuse were 'strenuously denied' and described the situation as a 'tough separation' between Edwards and the protected person, as reported by NT News.
The case is set to return to court on May 18, though Edwards is not required to attend this hearing. The proceedings have drawn attention due to Edwards' public profile as a former athlete and entrepreneur.
Edwards' Career and House of Darwin
Before founding the fashion label House of Darwin in 2020, Edwards had a brief AFL career, playing for Essendon and Greater Western Sydney before retiring at age 23. He later spent a year with Sydney University in the NEAFL and moved to Los Angeles to work with AIME Mentoring, an organisation focused on mentoring marginalised youth globally.
Upon returning to Australia, he launched House of Darwin, a Northern Territory-based clothing company that collaborates with local First Nations artists. The brand markets itself as a social enterprise, reinvesting profits into social programs in remote Indigenous communities.
House of Darwin has established partnerships with AFLW, Melbourne Football Club, Charles Darwin University, and brands like Havaianas, Afends, and Merrell. Notably, in the same week as Edwards' court hearing, the label was announced as an official partner of the Darwin music festival Bass in the Grass.
The success of House of Darwin led Edwards to attend Harvard Business School for a week-long executive education program in 2025, highlighting his transition from sports to business. Despite these achievements, his current legal challenges cast a shadow over his entrepreneurial endeavours.
