19-year-old Darwin soldier facing 13 sex, drugs and weapons offences granted bail
A Darwin soldier charged with 13 offences, including aggravated sexual intercourse with a child under 16, has been granted bail interstate in the Darwin Local Court today.
Police & Courts
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A 19-YEAR-OLD Darwin soldier charged with 13 offences, including aggravated sexual intercourse with a child under 16, has been granted bail interstate in the Darwin Local Court today, but will have to remain behind bars for at least the next week as his family finalises travel arrangements.
However, his 20-year-old co-accused, who is charged with seven offences including three counts of sexual intercourse without consent, has been denied bail.
It comes after the two Australian Defence Force (ADF) members were charged with a string of sex, drugs and weapons offences in early March.
During bail applications for both men this morning, the court heard most of the offences stemmed from an incident on September 10 last year when the pair allegedly met up with two girls aged 14 and 15.
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Defence lawyer Julie Franz launched a second bail application for the 19-year-old man today, proposing he could be bailed to his parent’s home in Brisbane if his father put up a “significant” sum as surety.
She argued the man was only 18 at the time of the alleged offences, had no prior criminal record, had a long wait for trial and intended to defend the most serious charge of sexual intercourse with a child under 16.
She also said there were some “important points of distinction” between the man’s case and that of his co-accused, a view Judge Therese Austin agreed with.
Prosecutor Stephen Geary opposed bail based on the seriousness of the charges and the strength of the Crown case.
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The matter was adjourned to Thursday, April 8, when the court will determine when the man will be able to leave custody on bail.
Ms Austin refused bail to the man’s 20-year-old co-accused, who also cannot be named for legal reasons, saying the charges he was facing were so serious he would “inevitably” face jail if found guilty of any of them.
She also said the Crown’s case against him was “moderately strong”.
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