Charges against an NT Police Fire and Emergency Services media unit employee have been suddenly dropped mid-trial by the prosecution.
Chelsea Sharyn Rogers, who is still employed in the NT Police media unit in Alice Springs, was facing two counts of disclosure of confidential information, and two counts of unlawfully accessing data to gain benefit.
Ms Rogers has been on forced leave since being charged, but was responsible for managing police media releases regarding crime and other NT Police Fire and Emergency Services matters in the southern region.
In Alice Springs Local Court on July 12, police prosecutor James Moore told Judge David Bamber that all the charges were being withdrawn part-way through the cross examination, while there were still two days listed for the three-day trial.
Judge Bamber said he noted no further evidence had been called and that the Crown submitted the matter should be dismissed.
There was no audible reason captured by the court audio as to why the charges had been withdrawn, with no documents accessible to the NT Independent to show why.
On August 11, then-NT Police media unit boss Rob Cross issued a press release saying that following an investigation by the Special References Unit, a 38-year-old woman had been issued with a notice to appear relating to two counts of disclosure of confidential information.
Ms Rogers’ position within police was not disclosed.
The NT Police transparency guidelines pertaining to the release of information regarding internal investigations and disciplinary matters state they only cover matters alleged against police officers.
The police media unit has come under scrutiny in recent weeks following the termination last month of Margaret McKeown as director of communications amid widespread accusations of political interference from the Labor Government that installed a government marketing manager to oversee police press releases to the public.
Before Ms McKeown was sacked, it was alleged the NT Police executive called detectives away from criminal matters to interrogate their own staff for possible leaks of information about the government’s involvement in police communications.
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