A woman in Mataranka was left for dead on a road after a man known to her allegedly assaulted her using an “offensive weapon” in a “horrific assault” on Wednesday morning, NT Police said.

Authorities said patrolling officers found the injured woman on the side of the road early in the morning, but did not explain if they had been notified about the woman or stumbled across her.

The woman was initially taken to Katherine District Hospital but was later transferred to Royal Darwin Hospital for treatment due to her injuries, police said.

They did not provide further details on the condition of the woman. It’s believed it is a case of domestic violence.

Police say the 33-year-old man was arrested later Wednesday morning.

He was charged with attempted murder, intentionally causing serious harm, breaching domestic violence order (DVO), and being armed with an offensive weapon.

He remains in custody and was set to appear before the Katherine Local Court on Friday.

“This was a horrific assault. Family violence has no place in our society,” Detective Senior Sergeant Paul Lawson said.

He urged anyone with knowledge of the incident to contact police on 131 444 and quote reference number 9830700.