It is not unusual for Australian judges or magistrates to issue arrest warrants for people who do not turn up to give important evidence in court.

But it is rare for the subject of the arrest warrant to be the alleged victim of domestic violence, where the accused is the alleged perpetrator.

That was the situation for far-west New South Wales resident Delenna King who said it added to the trauma she had already experienced and caused her grief.

Ms King, a 28-year-old Barkindji woman, was arrested by police after a magistrate in Broken Hill issued an arrest warrant for failing to comply with a subpoena to appear in court.

She was then kept in the cells at the local police station overnight.

"It is not a place for a person when you're a victim of domestic violence," Ms King said.

Could not make it to court

Last year, Ms King's partner was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm, damaging property and contravening an apprehended violence order, relating to an altercation between the pair in Broken Hill.

The assault charge was ultimately dropped and he pleaded guilty to the other charges at his April sentencing hearing.

But before the charge was dropped, Ms King had been required to give evidence at the hearing in the Broken Hill Local Court, which had been set down for February.

She did not attend court, and Magistrate Roger Prowse subsequently issued a warrant for her arrest.

"I was going to court but I had my nephews with me, I had my two kids with me, I was staying in the refuge, I had no lift," she said.

"And then when I got to my sister-in-law to give the boys to her, I got a phone call from my mum to say to go to the hospital because my niece has been burnt."

The city of Broken Hill, as seen from the Joe Keenan Lookout. ( ABC News: Declan Gooch )

Arrested at dinner

About a fortnight later, Ms King had just left McDonald's where she bought dinner with her mother and young daughter when Broken Hill police approached her.

"When we were in the drive-through, we saw the police and they saw the car ... They parked in the carpark and they waited until we came out," Ms King said.

Police arrested her and took her to the police station where they refused her bail and kept her overnight until a formal bail hearing at the local court the following morning.

Domestic violence experts say the practice of arresting victims is rare, but not unheard of. ( ABC News: Declan Gooch )

Threatens self-harm

The police custody management record confirmed Ms King entered custody at 7:53pm on Friday, February 16.

The document showed police knew Ms King was receiving treatment for depression and painted a picture of a woman in a highly distressed state.

An officer carried out inspections at intervals throughout the night.

Just after 11:00pm, police provided Ms King with dinner which the officer noted she "tipped into toilet".

At about the same time, Ms King "became aggressive and stated if she is not let out of here she will choke herself with her hair in her sleep," the notes said.

Just after midnight, the officer noted Ms King was "very aggressive towards police at this time".

At 3:20am, Ms King had "calmed down and was co-operative with police".

Just after 7:00am, Ms King was "becoming angry and upset over being a victim of DV [domestic violence] and being arrested".

At 9:15am, Ms King was taken to the Broken Hill Local Court for a bail hearing where she was granted bail by the registrar on the condition she appear in court when the matter was next listed.

The Broken Hill police station, where Ms King was held overnight. ( ABC News: Declan Gooch )

Not attending court 'may jeopardise victims' safety'

In a statement, a spokeswoman for the NSW Justice Department said it was not common for arrest warrants to be issued for witnesses appearing in domestic violence cases.

She was not commenting on Ms King's specific situation.

"It is always very concerning when a victim does not attend court as it may jeopardise their safety," she said.

"This can mean perpetrators can continue to carry out the abuse without being held accountable or engaging in programs and interventions to change their behaviour.

"If a victim cannot make the hearing date they should contact the police to explain why they are unable to attend."

Ms King was arrested as she bought her children dinner at a local fast food restaurant. ( ABC News: Declan Gooch )

The commander of the Barrier Police District, Paul Smith, told the ABC in a statement that domestic violence was a "priority concern" for local officers.

"Investigation and prosecution options are available and considered on a case-by-case basis," Superintendent Smith said, adding he could not discuss specific cases or parties.

"This includes ensuring, where we can, all witnesses are available to give their evidence before the court."

A spokesman for the NSW Attorney-General, Mark Speakman, said in a statement that the issuing of arrest warrants for domestic violence victims "occurs only in extraordinary circumstances".

"A court can only act on the evidence before it and the evidence of victims is often essential to ensure justice is done," the spokesman said

Adding to the trauma

The CEO of Domestic Violence NSW, Moo Baulch, was not familiar with Ms King's case and was not commenting on it.

She said the rare practice of arresting domestic violence victims to attend court risked adding to the trauma they may have already experienced.

Domestic Violence NSW chief Moo Baulch. ( Supplied: Domestic Violence NSW )

While Ms King did not attend court because she was not able to get there, Ms Baulch said others chose not to attend because they were afraid of the process or facing the perpetrator.

"There are a number of often really complex circumstances around somebody deciding that they're not going to turn up to court or that they're not going to work with government authorities or police or the court system," Ms Baulch said.

"And what I would hope in circumstances like this is that these victims are worked with really carefully, to determine what needs to be done in ensuring their safety."

Dissuading victims from speaking up

She said the practice could damage trust between victims and law enforcement agencies or the criminal justice system, and send a bad message to other victims.

"If you're a victim of domestic and family violence and you hear about somebody else who has been locked up it may ... dissuade you from … going to the places that you want to get support from," Ms Baulch said.

"[That could be] a domestic and family violence support service, or … some support from a legal advocate or police."

Ms Baulch said that overall, the criminal justice system had improved the way it handled domestic violence cases in recent years.

"Let's not pretend that magistrates are going to make a decision like this lightly," she said.

"I'm sure there are a range of circumstances in which they feel as if taking some sort of action against a victim is justified.

"But I would say 'let's look at what we can do to support victim-survivors, let's think about how the system can be really trauma-informed'."