Ten day hearing set for Yipirinya School Principal Gavin Morris to fight assault charges in 2025
A mammoth hearing has been set for a Red Centre school principal to fight allegations he assaulted children. Latest from court.
Police & Courts
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Witnesses which could potentially leave judges “conflicted” will be giving evidence in a mammoth hearing, where a school principal will fight accusations he assaulted children.
Yipirinya School principal Gavin Morris will be in court September 1, 2025, to fight his five counts of aggravated assault in a 10-day hearing.
Mr Morris – who also sits on the Alice Springs Town Council – was hit with the charges in August this year, after police accused him of historic assaults against children.
In the aftermath Yipirinya School stood Mr Morris down with full pay.
At his first court hearing in Alice Springs in August, he indicated he will plead not guilty through his defence lawyer Luke Officer.
At his latest mention in the Alice Springs Local Court, Crown prosecutor Tania Hayward asked for the 10 day hearing to be held next year.
Ms Hayward said the case would call a “number of witnesses where the judges might be conflicted”.
Ms Hayward has previously told the court how there were a lot of “complexities” in the case, with witnesses being called who “judges have previously been involved with”.
At a previous hearing, on November 28, Judge David Bamber indicated a portion of the hearing could be presided over by Judge Sarah McNamara.
Mr Officer did not oppose the September date proposed by Ms Hayward, which was set by Judge Carly Ingles.
Judge Ingles enlarged Mr Morris’ bail until the beginning of his hearing next year.
She also set a case management inquiry for April 17, as requested by Ms Hayward.
“There is some material outstanding that the police are chasing. We’ve requested that be provided by the end of February, so perhaps we’ll be in a position early April just to make sure things are tracking along,” Ms Hayward said.
Mr Morris is excused from the April date, but will appear in court next September.
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