Peter Kinthari: Jingili father charged for brother’s manslaughter

A ‘joyful’ family reunion turned to violence and agony, as a family mourns a father as his brother waits in prison.

A ‘JOYFUL’ family reunion turned to violence and agony, with a family now mourning a Wadeye father while his brother is in jail for the alleged killing.

Peter Kinthari, 39 appeared in Darwin Local Court charged with the manslaughter of his 41-year-old brother following a domestic violence related assault at Jingili on Wednesday, August 3.

The NT News has chosen not to name the deceased for cultural reasons.

Two tiny infants cried out as the father-of-six appeared before Judge David Woodroofe on Friday.

Defence barrister John Blackley said Kinthari was supported by his family, with his wife, another female relative and his six-week-old newborns in the courtroom.

Mr Blackley said Kinthari’s brother, and family flew in from Wadeye and rocked up at the Jingili man’s home on Wednesday.

“The two family groups were consuming alcohol together and from there things have escalated,” Mr Blackley said.

He said the brothers had two physical fights throughout the evening, but their reunion was not completely tainted by violence.

“The two seemed to be in good spirits throughout the course of those fair fights,” Mr Blackley said.

“There was a sequence where both defendants were hugging each other in joyful spirits.”

Mr Blackley said Kinthari’s wife, who was not drinking that night, told police that when they fought, it was a “fair fight”.

The court heard the Wadeye brother initiated the fight, and was more intoxicated and aggressive than Kinthari.

Prosecutor Marty Aust said a neighbour who witnessed the fight said Kinthari’s blow sent his brother “flying” to the bitchumen road.

The neighbour, who described a Kinthari as a “shorter and fatter” man and his brother as “a little bit taller and a lot skinnier”, said both were clearly angry and intoxicated.

He allegedly told police after a period of “posturing” the skinner man grabbed Kinthari by his leg and “tipped him back on the road”.

“The shorter guy was already wild before this happened, and this made him even angrier,” the neighbour allegedly said.

He alleged Kinthari “absolutely belted the skinner guy”, knocking him down with a single punch to the head.

“He was completely out of it, he was barely able to move by himself.”

The neighbour alleged Kinthari walked up to his brother, yelling aggressively before “striking the skinner bloke very, very hard”.

“It was hard enough to send the skinner guy flying backwards onto the ground.”

The court heard a pathologist concluded the fatal wound was from a ruptured pancreas, secondary to trauma and potentially a broken rib.

Mr Aust said this was consistent with a very hard kick or punch to the chest or guts.

But Mr Blackley said there was not enough evidence to prove Kinthari’s blows were enough to break a rib and penetrate the abdomen wall.

Mr Blackley said after the second fight, the injured brother was taken by his partner into the shower.

“It says he fell over in the shower, and everyone heard him fall over,” Mr Blackley said.

“The shower is described as one of those tub showers.

“It’s the ones where you step on over and she (Kinthari’s wife) suggests that it’s very dangerous to both children and drunk people.”

“It is my submission that causation is certainly an issue in this matter.”

Mr Blackley made a bail application for his client, asking for him to return to his Jingili home — the site of the fatal fight.

But Mr Aust said the home was known to police as a “drinking house” and the risks of retaliatory “flare ups” was too great for a bail application.

Mr Blackley said his client was just as likely to experience revenge attacks in prison.

“The truth is, and we all know it, the deceased likely has more family members in custody than in the Darwin community,” he said.

Mr Blackley asked for a bail assessment report to consider a residential rehabilitation service.

He said the current wait time for a Supreme Court trial was between 12 and 18 months.

Mr Woodroofe denied bail, and with Kinthari to return to court on September 28 for a preliminary examination mention.