The NT Independent has published a number of cops, courts, and crime stories over the past week. From a teenage machete attacker, to a brutal man who kicked and stomped his wife’s head, to approximately $100,000 worth of illicit drugs busted, and to the Vanderlin Drive hit-and-run driver who turned himself in to police. Read them all here:
Plan to drug test cops after officers’ cocaine charges
Northern Territory cops are facing the prospect of mandatory drug and alcohol testing after two police officers were stood down for allegedly dealing cocaine following a raid in Palmerston on Friday.
A 43-year-old man and 28-year-old woman, both officers of Darwin Command, have been charged with drug offences and suspended without pay.
Deputy Commissioner Murray Smalpage said it was alleged the male officer was dealing cocaine to the female officer and at least one of the offences happened while the pair were on duty,. The Deputy Commissioner took the unusual step of holding a press conference on Saturday morning about the charges.
Man burned in Parap explosion dies from injuries
The 52-year-old man who sustained serious burns in the suspected Parap gas explosion last Wednesday has passed away, NT Police confirmed.
The man was admitted to the Royal Darwin Hospital where he remained in critical condition following the explosion in his apartment in Gregory Street at around 2:30am on September 16.
It’s understood he died on Friday, but police did not put out a statement until late Monday afternoon.
Alice Springs home intruders allegedly hit man in head with glass bottle
A 20-year-old Alice Springs man suffered cuts and bruising to the head after three unidentified offenders allegedly broke into his residence last night and struck him with a glass bottle, NT Police said.
Authorities are urging residents in the Gillen area who have CCTV footage to contact them to help identify the offenders who perpetrated the alleged unlawful entry and assault.
Police say the man woke around 1:30 am to discover three unknown people in the lounge room of his home in Hawkings Court. Police said one of the offenders struck the man in the head with a glass bottle before fleeing.
Alice Springs home intruders allegedly hit man in head with glass bottle
Drugged and drunk drivers in remote community busted during weekend blitz
Thirteen people in Borroloola have been charged for alcohol and drug-related offenses following an NT Police traffic crackdown over the rodeo weekend, police say.
Police conducted around 300 roadside breath tests and drug saliva tests to motorists over a four-day period, resulting in a number of charges relating to drink and drug drivers including driving with prohibited drug in blood, possession of cannabis, driving while disqualified, driving unlicensed, and breach of bail, Officer-in-Charge, Sergeant Cherie Gaffney said.
Drugged and drunk drivers in remote community busted during weekend blitz
Ten months jail for drunk driver who caused death of ‘hardworking’ Beswick father
A woman whose reckless driving caused a car to roll over and pitch end-to-end, causing he death of a father of four last year, has been jailed following a five-day trial heard in the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory.
Rhiannon Ponto, 24 of Bulman and Minyerri, will spend 10 months in prison after a jury found her guilty for dangerous driving causing the death of brother-in-law Harry Forbes and dangerous driving causing serious harm to her cousin Lucille Thompson in a horror crash while driving with an alcohol level between 0.113 to 0.172.
Ten months jail for drunk driver who caused death of ‘hardworking’ Beswick father
‘All the risk rests with licencees’: Alcohol restrictions in place for a further seven days
Tougher takeaway alcohol sale restrictions in greater Darwin have been extended by a week without a public statement by the Liquor Commission while the Hospitality NT boss has said there was a lack of evidence for the decision.
Last Monday, the Director of Liquor Licensing invoked emergency powers to target the secondary supply of alcohol, and stipulated residents of the greater Darwin area would need to have proof of an address to buy alcohol. The Liquor Commission did not make the information public but the media reported on it after the NT Police Association put out a press release about it.
Initially in place for seven days, police warned in a statement the timeframe could be extended “if necessary”.
‘All the risk rests with licencees’: Alcohol restrictions in place for a further seven days
Police Association offering ‘support’ as cops deal with colleagues’ drug charges
The arrests of two Territory police officers after allegedly being busted with cocaine has shocked many of their colleagues, who believe drug-taking on the force is “extremely uncommon”.
NT cops are facing the prospect of mandatory drug and alcohol testing after the 43-year-old male officer and 28-year-old female officer were charged with drug offences and suspended without pay following a raid in Palmerston on Friday.
The NT Independent has spoken to several of the pair’s colleagues following the arrests, who all say drug activity amongst Territory police officers is exceptionally rare.
Police Association offering ‘support’ as cops deal with colleagues’ drug charges
Police seek Alice Springs man in relation to alleged indecent act
NT Police are searching for a man with knowledge of an incident that saw an Alice Springs woman engaged in a “short conversation” by an unidentified male before he began to masturbate outside an East Side property on Monday afternoon.
Police media manager Rob Cross said police are seeking the public’s assistance to identify the man they say “may be able to assist in relation to (the) incident of indecent behaviour”.
Mr Cross said around 4:45 pm a woman was outside a property on Sturt Terrace, East Side when the man approached her and committed the indecent act.
Police seek Alice Springs man in relation to alleged indecent act
Youth arrested for allegedly spitting in police officers’ face after property damage incident
A 13-year-old boy has been apprehended after he allegedly kicked and spat at NT Police Officers in Tennant Creek, following a group of youths allegedly damaging cars and a service station with sticks and rocks over the weekend.
Police say they started a search for the group after they rampaged through Paterson Street, in the middle of the town, on Saturday at about 1.30pm.
Allegedly armed with rocks and sticks, police say the group threatened a number of staff on the street with violence.
Youth arrested for allegedly spitting in police officers’ face after property damage incident
Police Association says drug testing ‘inevitable’ but not likely before new contract in 2022
NT Police Association president Paul McCue says mandatory drug and alcohol testing in the Territory is “inevitable” but likely won’t be implemented before 2022, when a new collective agreement is finalised.
The NT is the only jurisdiction in the country that doesn’t mandate police undergo drug and alcohol testing, but pressure has grown to change that after two officers were charged with drug-related offences over the weekend.
Police Association says drug testing ‘inevitable’ but not likely before new contract in 2022
NT Police have released CCTV footage of a “vehicle of interest” that was travelling along Vanderlin Drive in Karama around the time a five-year-old boy was struck by a hit-and-run driver at a pedestrian crossing and sent to hospital.
NT Police are calling for the public’s help to identify the driver of the silver sedan, now believed to be a 2002-2005 Ford Falcon, possibly an XR6 or XR8 that allegedly struck the boy further along Vanderlin Drive in Leanyer on Monday afternoon.
‘It’s extremely lucky she did not die’: Darwin man jailed for fracturing teenage partner’s skull
A Darwin man who in a fit of rage left his teenaged partner with a fractured skull and a severe brain injury when he hit her twice with a plank of wood has been sentenced to prison.
Keenan Baxter, 21 at the time of the incident, was sentenced in the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory to prison for six years and six months, with a non-parole period of three years and three months.
In handing down the sentence, NT Justice Judith Kelly said the “serious offences” carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
‘It’s extremely lucky she did not die’: Darwin man jailed for fracturing teenage partner’s skull
Don’t expect liquor inspectors at Darwin bottle shops: Police Association
The NT Police Association says it’s unlikely Police Auxiliary Liquor Inspectors will be brought into Darwin bottle shops to oversee new alcohol purchasing rules introduced last week, citing a lack of government resources.
A force of 75 police auxiliaries (PALIs) currently stand guard at the front of bottle shops in Alice Springs, Katherine and Tennant Creek – tasked with checking IDs and requesting information about where customers will be consuming their purchase.
But in Darwin, the responsibility will remain on licensees, which the police association says is because of a lack of police resources provided by the Gunner Government.
Don’t expect liquor inspectors at Darwin bottle shops: Police Association
Police seize $100,000 worth of drugs on way to remote Indigenous community
Two people have been arrested and an estimated $100,000 worth of cannabis and a small amount of meth has been intercepted on its way into an Indigenous community in West Arnhem, NT Police say.
Police said a single vehicle was stopped by the Nhulunbuy police on Tuesday afternoon.
Police seize $100,000 worth of drugs on way to remote Indigenous community
Police intensify hunt for alleged hit-and-run driver, release new images
NT Police have ramped up their search for the driver of a silver Ford Falcon who allegedly struck a five-year-old on Monday afternoon and fled the scene along Vanderlin Drive.
Police released a clearer image and video of the vehicle and person of interest captured on CCTV prior to the crash on Wednesday afternoon and reiterated their calls for anyone with information as to the identity of the driver to contact police immediately.
Police intensify hunt for alleged hit-and-run driver, release new images
‘This was an awful attack on a defenceless child using a highly dangerous weapon’: Court
A teenaged boy has narrowly avoided jail time despite carrying out an “awful attack” with a machete that left a 12-year-old girl in hospital for six months.
The 18-year-old boy’s case was heard in the Supreme Court this week, nearly two years after the unbridled attack in Galiwinku.
Chief Justice Michael Grant said he was “not convinced at all” the youth did not present any risk of re-offending, despite a clean record for almost two years on bail under supervision at an outstation.
‘This was an awful attack on a defenceless child using a highly dangerous weapon’: Court
Senator brands top cop Chalker ‘devious’ over remote policing shortfall claims
Senator Sam McMahon has accused the NT Police Commissioner and the Police Minister of being “devious” following their claims about federal funding for remote policing.
Ms McMahon told Mix 104.9 on Thursday morning that there has been no final decision made on ongoing funding for remote policing in the Northern Territory after the current agreement comes to an end in 2022, despite comments made by Commissioner Jamie Chalker that the prospect of cuts had led to remote police staffing issues.
Senator brands top cop Chalker ‘devious’ over remote policing shortfall claims
Man arrested for indecent Alice Springs attack may be wanted for previous incident: Police
NT Police have arrested a man for an alleged indecent assault on a woman in an Alice Springs carpark on Wednesday morning who may be the same masturbator who allegedly committed an indecent act on another woman on Monday afternoon, police say.
The 30-year-old man, described as Aboriginal in appearance, approached a woman around 11:30am on Wednesday who was walking in the Gregory Terrace carpark and allegedly started to indecently assault her, Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Carmen Butcher said.
Man arrested for indecent Alice Springs attack may be wanted for previous incident: Police
Drugs posted to Winnellie Post Office, unidentified liquid lands Darwin man in court
A Darwin man is facing court after three boxes of cannabis sent in the mail to the Winnellie Post Office were allegedly found in his car along with plastic bottles containing an unidentified liquid and “other suspicious items”.
Northern Territory Joint Organised Crime Task Force officers arrested the 31-year-old male yesterday after raiding his car and allegedly finding it filled with drugs and other dubious items.
Three boxes of cannabis weighing 13.6 kilograms each, a traffickable quantity of methamphetamine, $3,720 in cash, three plastic bottles containing an unidentified liquid and “other suspicious items” were seized by police.
Drugs posted to Winnellie Post Office, unidentified liquid lands Darwin man in court
Man jailed for stomping on wife’s head in ‘callous’ attack
A man who had “spiralled into a cycle of violent behaviours, offending and imprisonment” has been sentenced to prison for stomping on his wife’s head multiple times in a “callous and brutal fashion”.
Adrian Hector, 31, was arrested by NT Police in Katherine late last year after he became heavily intoxicated and began kicking his wife in the head like he was “kicking a soccer ball” and stomping “forcefully on her head as she lay defenceless on the ground”.
The horrific details of the case were heard in the Supreme Court this week, including that Hector “jumped from the ground into the air and came down and stomped” on his wife’s face because he was jealous.
‘Only a matter of time’: Alleged hit-and-run driver turns himself in
A man who is alleged to have almost killed a five-year-old boy after allegedly striking him with his car on Vanderlin Drive, sending him flying into the air, has turned himself in to police.
The man, 22, turned himself into police Thursday night and will face court Friday.
‘Only a matter of time’: Alleged hit-and-run driver turns himself in
‘Children have been harmed’: Darwin man jailed for possession of child abuse material
A Darwin man has been sentenced to six months jail after being found in possession of 240 child abuse images and videos involving children as young as six.
Wayne Kunoth, 47, was facing maximum penalties of 30 years in prison this week as he pleaded guilty to two separate charges related to accessing and possessing child abuse material.
‘Children have been harmed’: Darwin man jailed for possession of child abuse material
Boy and woman arrested for allegedly assaulting, robbing taxi driver with weapon
Two taxi passengers, one a teenage boy, have been arrested for allegedly attacking a taxi driver with an “edged weapon” and attempting to rob him, NT Police said.
On Wednesday at around 8:50pm, a 28-year-old taxi driver was transporting four passengers from Nightcliff to Moulden, including the two offenders, who began verbally abusing him while driving, police media manager Rob Cross said.
A 30-year-old woman allegedly brandished an “edged weapon” and attacked the driver while the other two passengers fled the scene.
Boy and woman arrested for allegedly assaulting, robbing taxi driver with weapon
Zachary Rolfe lawyers argue murder case should be thrown out in final submissions
Lawyers representing NT Police officer Zachary Rolfe, charged with the murder of Kumanjayi Walker in Yeundemu late last year, have taken aim at key evidence revealed by body worn camera footage saying it “distorts reality”.
Lawyers today convened in Alice Springs Local Court to provide submissions following a three-day hearing last month to determine whether there is enough evidence to put Constable Rolfe on trial in the Supreme Court.
Zachary Rolfe lawyers argue murder case should be thrown out in final submissions
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