Darwin woman frustrated with police silence after disgusting broad daylight attack
A Darwin woman has been left feeling shaken and anxious after a disgusting assault in the CBD involving what she believed to be human faeces.
Northern Territory
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A Darwin woman who intervened to stop a puppy being kicked, only to be slapped in the face with what she believed to be human faeces, has been left waiting months without any police follow up to the disgusting attack.
It was early afternoon on September 12 and Mary (not her real name), a softly spoken health worker in her 60s, was entering the CBD Mitchell Centre to grab some groceries.
She had stopped to wait for her partner – recent health issues had left him on crutches – when a “giant of a man” walked by repeatedly kicking at a leashed puppy.
Recounting the story from the dining table of her neat Stuart Park apartment, Mary at times pauses to blink back tears.
“There were lots of people standing around kind of in shock,” she says, “but I was the only one that shouted out to him: ‘Hey stop that, stop kicking your dog or I’m going to report you to the police right now’.”
The man swore and told her to mind her own business before walking down Mitchell St – only to return a short time later.
“He came back and stood right in front of me, I think they call it shirt-fronting.
“He would’ve had to be 6’4, at least, and built, so I kind of looked up at him and thought ‘Oh God, what now’.
“Within a couple of seconds, he just took his right hand back and smacked me.”
She got angry, swearing and ineffectually hitting at the man.
“He could have killed me, he could have easily knocked me out, but he just kind of had this little smirk.”
Mary’s partner had finally caught up, and convinced the man to walk away.
It was only then she registered what one of the bystanders had yelled: “Oh my God, he’s put s**t on your face”.
Mary puts her hand on her left cheek.
“It was like – it was soft, like it wasn’t – I don’t know if it was human or dog. I’m a nurse, and I think it was more human.”
After cleaning up, she went to the police station – located just metres away – and reported the assault.
“They gave me a card and that was it, basically,” she said.
In the eight weeks since, there has been no follow up to take an official statement, and no progress on the case.
“I called to check in, and they just told me ‘Oh, it doesn’t look like anyone has picked up that file yet’ … it just sits there until somebody decides to take it up,” she said.
“Well, how long do you wait? That plays on people’s mental health as well.
“I just want to give my statement, I want charges, I want things dealt with appropriately.”
Her partner is frustrated too: “It’s not an anti-police thing – they’ve got their work cut out – but this is the middle of the day in the middle of town,” he said.
“And the police station’s right there – it’s unfathomable this happened where it did, there should have been immediate action, and we still can’t understand why no action has been taken.”
Mary was lucky none of the faeces ended up in her mouth or eyes, but the psychological impact of the assault has stayed with her.
“It was horrible … I get anxiety anyway, so that’s not really helpful, I get shaky,” she said.
“We still go to Coles for shopping, but I’m always on the lookout for this huge man.”
In a statement NT Police said it was aware of the incident.
“Around 12.45pm on 12 September 2024, police received a report that a 64-year-old woman had been assaulted by an unknown man inside the Mitchell Centre in the Darwin CBD,” a spokesman said.
“It is believed the man was abusing a puppy when the victim told him to stop, before he assaulted her and fled the scene.
“The woman immediately attended a nearby police station and made a report.”
He said CCTV of the incident had been catalogued and investigations were ongoing.
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