Alleged shooter Ben Hoffmann will read ‘every word’ of the brief of evidence against him ahead of his upcoming trial
Alleged Darwin shooter Ben Hoffmann will read “every word” of the brief of evidence against him ahead of his upcoming mass murder trial.
Northern Territory
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ALLEGED Darwin shooter Ben Hoffmann will read “every word” of the brief of evidence against him ahead of his upcoming mass murder trial in September.
Hoffmann is facing four counts of murder following his alleged deadly rampage in June 2019 and was set to contest the charges in the Supreme Court last month prior to a last minute adjournment to allow him to get across the brief.
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On Thursday, his lawyer Jon Tippett QC told the court his client was poring over every detail of the prosecution case, including footage of police officers eating their lunch.
“We are ensuring that the accused reads every word of the brief and we have people out at the prison showing the accused every piece of body worn footage and film,” he said.
“Including watching the policemen eat their lunch for some time, which we feel is irrelevant but part of the brief and consequently, of course, the accused is entitled to see it.
“I can assure you, your honour, that it is being done with the utmost thoroughness.”
The trial is now due to start on September 20 but Chief Justice Michael Grant said that date was still only provisional as an acting judge would need to be found to sit in on other cases following the delayed start.
“It’s provisional only because it’s, in the first instance at least, contingent on me getting an acting judge in to take other parts of the list,” he said.
“I don’t think I’ll have difficulty there but that hasn’t been absolutely nailed down as yet.”
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