Benjamin Hoffmann charged with assault over spilled prison coffee

Facing one of the country’s most notorious murderers, a fellow Darwin prisoner thought he would be killed, a court has heard.

Triple murderer Ben Hoffmann is pulled over by police on the morning of his 2019 Darwin killing spree. Picture: Courts NT

In a prison filled with ‘prisoners, murderers, and beasts’, Benjamin Hoffmann is known as the “scariest” man on the block, a court has heard.

The notorious Darwin killer appeared in Darwin Local Court on Monday to plead not guilty to allegedly throwing coffee at another prisoner in an alleged assault on November 24, 2021.

Prosecutor Tamara Grealy said the incident was completely captured on CCTV, which allegedly showed Hoffmann walking up to another prisoner, “faking out” a punch, before smacking a cup of coffee causing it to spray his victim.

Prison cafeteria security cameras recorded Hoffmann approaching a seated man dressed in a low-security risk green uniform, Jason Anthony Doyle.

The now-released man told the court on Monday that he had just settled down with a fresh cup of coffee — powdered milk with two sugars — when Hoffmann’s figure loomed over him to challenge him to a fight in the cells.

Ben Hoffmann in the Darwin Supreme Court during his mass shooting trial. Sketch: Stuart Thornton

Mr Doyle said Hoffmann accused him of being “rude” and a “smart-arse” and said “he wanted to bash me there and then”.

“All I recall was a blur of movement, and then an instant sensation of heat on my chest,” he said.

CCTV appeared to show Hoffmann using a backhand to flick the coffee at Mr Doyle, before he stormed off and returned with another prisoner.

“If the prison guards didn’t arrive when they did, I don’t think I would be sitting here,” Mr Doyle said.

“I believe he would have killed me — 100 per cent — with his bare hands.”

Mr Doyle said on the wing filled with “prisoners, murderers, beasts, the worst”, Hoffmann was “the biggest, scariest, murderer on the block”.

“For obvious reasons — the man is a mass murderer, he stabbed someone to death, he shot people to death,” Mr Doyle said.

It was due to that same violence, that Hoffmann is claiming to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Crown Prosecutor Tamara Grealy leaves court. Picture: (A)manda Parkinson

Defence lawyer Michael Drury asked for Hoffmann’s case to be moved to the mental health court list, given the mass shooter’s claims of hallucinations, depression, anxiety psychosis, and a paranoid personality disorder.

“My client has been hearing voices to kill himself,” Mr Drury said.

“He fears for his safety. He hears footsteps coming up behind him when there’s no one there.

“He also has feelings that he is being punched from behind when he is not.”

Mr Drury said the 2019 shooting has caused PTSD symptoms to manifest in prison, but his client fought his own counsel to argue he had issues before the shooting.

On a dozen occasions on Monday Hoffmann tried to address the court despite repeatedly being told to remain silent.

The 48-year-old has previously attempted to make an unfit to plead defence during the Supreme Court trial and hearing for the 2019 Darwin shooting.

Mr Drury presented Mr Murphy with documents detailing the “raft of medicine” Hoffmann had been prescribed.

But Ms Grealy said it was suspected the mass shooter was manipulating the medical evidence from inside the prison to prepare for an appeal to his life sentence.

“There is evidence in the medical records that shows Mr Hoffmann repeatedly asking for more, and increasing his medication beyond what is required,” she said.

“He was using the system in his best attempt to secure himself a mental impairment defence where one simply isn’t available.”

The hearing will continue on June 27.