NT Water Police Senior Sergeant Sandi-lee Mellon fighting high threshold for insanity defence
A Top Territory cop is claiming she should not be held responsible for an alleged assault, the day after her husband was sensationally arrested.
Police & Courts
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A top Territory cop has one last chance to prove she was too mentally disturbed to be legally responsible for assaulting and threatening to kill another person, the day after her husband was arrested.
NT Water Police Officer in Charge Senior Sergeant Sandi-lee Mellon faces five charges in relation to an incident in a Darwin home on August 26.
The Senior Sergeant allegedly trespassed and unlawfully entered a home before assaulting and making threats to kill another person.
The 46-year-old was also charged with disorderly behaviour and it will be alleged the obscene language was loud enough to be heard from the street.
This was the day after her husband and fellow officer Neil Mellon was arrested for unrelated conspiracy charges over the chopper crash which killed Outback Wrangler Chris ‘Willow’ Wilson.
Ms Mellon’s charges do not relate to her husband’s case.
On Thursday her barrister Luke Officer told Darwin Local Court that he was still attempting to change a mental health report which found she was responsible for her alleged actions.
“In his view the mental illness didn’t materially contribute to the conduct,” Mr Officer told the court.
“I think, in respect to that clinician, that applies too high a threshold in reaching that conclusion.”
Mr Officer said he was still waiting for a response from the Chief Psychiatrist, and prosecutor Caitlin Searle said it was “prudent for one last” mention.
Judge Ben O’Loughlin said he had written “in capitals ‘last mention’” on her file, as after December 7 he would force the parties to go into a contested hearing.
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