Children’s Commissioner Colleen Gwynne’s lawyers seek to cross examine witnesses at committal

LAWYERS for Children’s Commissioner Colleen Gwynne will seek to cross examine five or more witnesses at a committal hearing before an abuse of office charge against her is transferred to the Supreme Court.

NT Children's Commissioner Colleen Gwynne outside the Darwin Local Court with lawyers Sean Bowden and Giles O’Brien-Hartcher.

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LAWYERS for Children’s Commissioner Colleen Gwynne will seek to cross examine five or more witnesses at a committal hearing before an abuse of office charge against her is transferred to the Supreme Court.

At an administrative hearing in the Darwin Local Court yesterday, Gwynne’s barrister Giles O’Brien-Hartcher said her defence team had only just received the prosecution brief of evidence that stretched to as many as 10 volumes.

In adjourning the case for further mention on December 16, Chief Judge Elizabeth Morris said the Children’s Commissioner and former police officer was “obviously known to me” and finding a judge who could hear the arguments could be challenging.

“We’re probably going to have to pick and choose with the judges,” she said.

“I’d imagine some judges won’t be able to hear this matter and perhaps some will.”

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If prosecutors don’t consent to the defence examination of the witnesses after further negotiations, a date will then be set for the parties to argue about the need for a committal hearing.