Court date set for Samantha Alampi, ex-NAAJA employee allegedly discovered in bed with parolee

An alleged fugitive who police say was caught in a hotel room with an ex-NAAJA employee has fronted court. Read the latest.

NAAJA senior officer Samantha Alampi at the Diplomat Hotel, Alice Springs. Picture: Supplied.

A 20-year-old who spent days on the run after his parole was revoked has allegedly been assisted by a senior officer from the Territory’s besieged Aboriginal legal service – who could spend up to 14 years in prison if she’s found guilty of perverting the course of justice.

NT Police Acting Assistant Commissioner James O’Brien said the manhunt for the man began on Thursday after he allegedly cut off his ankle monitoring device.

“The man had been previously charged with manslaughter,” Mr O’Brien said.

“His parole was revoked last Thursday.”

Mr O’Brien said police had found the man and now ex-NAAJA senior officer Samantha Alampi inside a room at a “commercial accommodation” premises – which was reported by The Australian to be the Mecure Resort in Alice Springs.

Mr O’Brien did not confirm if the pair had been caught in bed together as The Australian had alleged.

“I can confirm the report to us is that she is employed by NAAJA,” he said.

Mr O’Brien said the possibility an employee of the national organisation had interfered with police’s investigation was “obviously concerning”.

But he said the incident was not “particularly peculiar” in his 30-year history as a police member.

“However, it is unusual in our day-to-day policing environment.”

On Monday, the 20-year-old man appeared in Alice Springs Local Court, where Judge David Woodroffe revoked his parole to the time of his arrest on Sunday.

Sitting in the dock, the man appeared downtrodden as Judge Woodroffe sent him back to custody, in a court hearing which was over in five minutes.

Harvie Stiller represented the man and said his client “accepts” his parole being revoked.

In 2021, when the man was aged 16, he was sentenced to six-years with a two-year and four month non-parole period for manslaughter.

He would now “serve the balance the order”, Judge Woodroffe said.

Ms Alampi, 36, was a senior Through Care co-ordinator in the intensive case management section, where she manages the parole of serious offenders for the legal service.

In a public document published ahead of the Australiasian Parole Authorities Conference held in Darwin in 2014, Ms Alampi was profiled for her work with the Northern Territory Department of Correctional Services.

It detailed she had been working with the department since 2012 as a Probation and Parole Officer, supervising a caseload in some of the most remote Communities of Central Australia.

She previously held positions in the Alice Springs Magistrates Court and Supreme Court, having completed studies for Social Science (Legal and Dispute Studies), Advanced Diploma in Business (Legal Practice) and a Bachelor of Criminology through Deakin University.

She has been charged with perverting the course of justice, and will front Alice Springs Local Court January 15.

If found guilty, Ms Alampi could spend up to 14 years behind bars.

NAAJA acting chief executive Anthony Beven confirmed Ms Alampi had resigned from the legal service on Monday.

“I can advise that NAAJA is taking this matter seriously and Ms Alampi was suspended by NAAJA yesterday (Sunday) and an investigation was commenced,” he said.

Treasurer Bill Yan, former general manager of the Alice Springs Correctional Centre, said it was “an unfortunate state of events”.

“We do see it within those sectors dealing with the criminal justice system - it does happen, it has happened before,” Mr Yan said.

“I know from my experience with corrections there is a large training package put together to advise and instruct officers working within that system about the dangers of becoming too close to offenders. It’s probably something that NAAJA may need to consider, if they’re not already doing it.”

Originally published as Court date set for Samantha Alampi, ex-NAAJA employee allegedly discovered in bed with parolee