Darwin magistrate John Neill described NT Police Force as incompetent and useless
A DARWIN magistrate has unleashed on NT Police and domestic violence personnel in court for their ‘grotesque’ handling of offenders.
Northern Territory
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A DARWIN magistrate has described the NT Police Force as incompetent and useless in its handling of offenders.
John Neill unleashed on police in the Darwin Magistrates Court yesterday after it was revealed they knew a 19-year-old man would be charged with aggravated assault, but did not arrest him until he had been punished for another matter.
Mr Neill rejected implications made by defence lawyer Marty Aust that officers had intentionally gone after his client.
“Incompetence, gross and grotesque, on behalf of police and domestic violence personnel is far more likely to be the case,’’ he said. “They were just useless in these circumstances as is so often the way.”
Mr Aust said his client John Adams received a one-month home detention order on May 11 for a property crime.
The court heard police had been called to another incident involving Adams nine days earlier, on May 2.
However he was not arrested or charged until Wednesday of this week.
Mr Aust said police had been “somewhat disingenuous” by not laying the charge at the same time, so all of the offences could be dealt with together. “As of May 2 police knew exactly where Mr Adams lived,’’ he said.
“They knew of his future court date.
“It is also very clear they knew exactly when the home detention order ran out, otherwise it’s the greatest coincidence of all time they would appear at his house on the final day to take him into custody.”
Mr Neill said Mr Aust had “opened Pandora’s box” by raising the question of police competency. However he said it did not excuse the behaviour of Adams, who admitted slapping his girlfriend and using force to stop her from leaving the bedroom after a fight.
Adams was sentenced to 100 hours of community service.
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