From fires to murders, here are the big stories that gripped the NT in 2020
WHILE COVID-19 took up most of the headlines, there were plenty of other big stories involving our emergency services to grip the NT in 2020. CHECK OUT our list of some of those stories
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WHILE COVID-19 took up most of the headlines, there were still a fair few events that rocked the NT. From fires to murders, here is a list of some of the biggest events of 2020.
January
NT fireys went south during the Black Summer to help out their colleagues. Dozens of NT-based fire fighters lent a hand.
Thursday 2: A man was stabbed with a bayonet after a neighbourly dispute over the illegal use of fireworks during New Year’s celebrations turned ugly, police say.
Thursday 9: The Northern Territory Police & Citizens Youth Club closed permanently after its temporary closure in July 2019.
Sunday 12: A 31-year-old man drowned at Ellery Creek Big Hole near Alice Springs while going for a swim at the popular waterhole.
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Wednesday 22: A decorated, veteran Territory cop was convicted of drink-driving after being busted by his colleagues behind the wheel on Christmas Day at more than three times the limit. Michael Whiting, 41, pleaded guilty in Darwin Local Court to high-range drink-driving and driving without due care following the incident last year.
Wednesday 22: The thin blue line was stretched to its limits with a shortage of about 40 cops in Alice Springs, the NT Police Association said. Tennant Creek was also short-staffed, with the station reportedly not able to fill the next roster. NTPA president Paul McCue said the short staffing could be put down to recruitment not keeping up with attrition and officers moving to other stations.
Friday 31: A 35-year-old woman was allegedly sexually assaulted by a man in the parkland on Rapid Creek Road.
Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Kirsten Engels said the woman was riding along the bike path in the Rapid Creek area when she was approached by a man who allegedly pushed her to the ground, threatened her with a knife and sexually assaulted her.
A 21-year-old man was arrested on February 7 in relation to the matter.
February
Thursday 6: NT Police settled a civil suit with police officer Lee Morgan, admitting it denied the experienced senior officer procedural fairness and natural justice in overlooking him for a promotion.
Saturday 8: A teenager was stabbed in the chest, a spear was thrown into a police car and an officer threatened with a bow and arrow in a remote community at the weekend, police allege. Police say that on Saturday they were called because there was a large group of people armed with weapons, with violence stemming from an argument three weeks earlier about a domestic issue.
Sunday 9: Cannabis withdrawal was blamed for sparking a 200-person strong “disturbance” on the Tiwi Islands. The Territory Response Group was rushed to Wurrumiyanga, Bathurst Island, late Sunday night to help quell tensions within the community. About 200 people were involved in multiple violent disturbances.
Monday 24: Deputy Commissioner Murray Smalpage starts, his start date also heralding the beginning of a PFES restructure.
March
Monday 2: A 24-year-old man who had been on the run for three months after escaping from the Alice Springs Correctional Facility is caught at a remote community on the NT/Queensland border.
Saturday 7: Edith Tanswell, 6, was tragically swept away from her family and drowned at a popular Kakadu swimming hole. She had been swimming with family and friends at Motor Car Falls, 15km from Stuart Highway and off the road to Gunlom Falls.
Saturday 21: A 50-year-old man died at Maningrida during a workplace incident.
April
Friday 3: A 44-year-old man was charged with murder in relation to the death of 48-year-old man on Gap Road, Alice Springs.
Wednesday 8: A 60-year-old man died after falling 3m through a void onto concrete at a Bayview construction site.
Thursday 16: A toddler drowned in her family’s backyard swimming pool in the Darwin rural area. Police were called to the property at 6.45pm after the 20-month-old girl was found unconscious by family in the swimming pool.
Saturday 18: Frightened Wulagi residents have told how a group of up to 50 people armed with swords and meat cleavers engaged in a wild brawl on a suburban street at the weekend.
As a result, a 15-year-old male suffered injuries to his hand, a 17-year-old female was knocked out and a vehicle was damage.
May
Friday 8: Darwin prisoner Benjamin Glen Watts, 32, died at Holtze prison after driving a buggy at speed when it hit a rock and rolled.
Thursday 14: A mass breakout of 21 prisoners at the Darwin Correctional Facility led to the destruction of buildings and a slew of charges against the alleged offenders.
Tuesday 19: A 15-year-old boy was charged over the alleged stabbing death of another 15-year-old boy at Bagot Community.
June
Friday 12: A 56-year-old man was arrested by the Northern Territory Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team for alleged child abuse material possession and transmission.
Sunday 14: Brettson Payne, 8, was killed in a tragic accident after he fell from a moving caravan when the door swung open, just outside of Katherine on Edith Farms Road.
Tuesday 30: A one-month-old boy was found unresponsive in his home in Tennant Creek. He died a short time later at the local hospital.
July
Monday 6: A 29-year-old man died after falling from a cliff while hiking in Kakadu National Park.
Sunday 12: Tennant Creek was left without a grocery store after the IGA was burned down.
Wednesday 15: A Katherine man was charged with manslaughter following the death of another man overnight. Police charged the 70-year-old man after a 73-year-old man died in Katherine Hospital.
Thursday 16: High-ranking Northern Territory public servant and former long-time police officer Colleen Gwynne was charged with abuse of office. She’d previously said she would contest the charges.
Wednesday 29: A 37-year-old man died in a workplace incident in Katherine after falling from the tracks of an excavator.
August
Thursday 6: Lisa Watson described how she and her partner, along with two young children, were shot at by three men in a car on the Carpentaria Highway near Borroloola.
Friday 7: A 23-year-old UK man drowned at the Mataranka Hot Springs.
Friday 14: A 56-year-old man who was fishing with family and friends in the Darwin Harbour on Friday died when he was struck in the chest by a large fish which launched itself into the boat.
September
Tuesday 1: A 57-year-old man was charged in relation to a number of bushfires on August 18 that ripped through properties and bushland near Batchelor causing substantial damage.
Sunday 6: A deckhand died at sea following a workplace incident off the coast of the Top End. The 39-year-old man died after falling overboard of a fishing vessel off the cost of Charles Point, near Mandorah.
Wednesday 16: A 52-year-old man was seriously injured after a gas explosion at his apartment at Casa on Gregory. He died several days later, on September 18.
Saturday 19: Thirty of Killarney Station’s best horses, worth about $500,000, were shot dead. Several people have been charged over the incident.
Monday 21: Paikea Hiko, 5, was injured in a hit and run which left him in hospital with multiple broken bones and internal injuries.
The boy was crossing Vanderlin Drive on his scooter with his older brother and another friend to the Leanyer skatepark around 5.30pm on Monday when he was struck by a car at the lights.
Wednesday 30: Three people were rescued from the Adelaide River after the engine of their boat failed, leaving them stranded in mangroves, until their emergency beacon was picked up by interstate authorities
October
Thursday 8: A f ire ripped through the NT Oriental Emporium, destroying the contents and building. Cops are still on the hunt for the alleged offender, caught on camera.
Tuesday 20: Police search for Daymon Ness, 30, who went missing at Nitmiluk National Park. Despite their best efforts Mr Ness has not been found.
Thursday 29: A man who sparked a six-hour siege in Darwin’s CBD was arrested by TRG officers in a cherry picker and put in the back of a paddy wagon. During the siege the man had thrown bottles and at one stage became stuck in a small hole in the wall next to his alcove.
Friday 30: Production begins for the new season of Territory Cops.
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November
Friday 6: A derelict home in the CBD owned by the Chin family went up in flames. The suspicious fire ripped through the home, which now has to be demolished.
Thursday 12: Police announce they will be focusing their energy towards stamping out the youth crime wave hitting the northern suburbs.
It comes after a team of cops from Darwin was sent to Alice Springs to address the crime wave that gripped the region.
Sunday 29: 37-year-old Yun-Seob Shin, who had been in Alice Springs for one month, was found dead near Boggy Hole. He had told colleagues he had intended to go camping at that location. They raised the alarm when he failed to show up to work.
December
Tuesday 1: A 20-year-old died in the middle of Freshwater Road after she was allegedly stabbed to death. A 36-year-old was charged in relation to the alleged incident.
Wednesday 2: A young child drowned in a public pool in the remote Red Centre community of Kintore, about 530km west of Alice Springs. According to NT Police, local workers in the community found the child unresponsive in the pool.
Wednesday 9: Josephine Deegan, 18, was charged in relation to a fire which was lit outside of the Palmerston Shopping Centre. Ms Deegan was granted bail, and will face court in February.
Monday 28: A man died after falling from a small platform over the cliff-face of the Darwin Esplanade, prompting police to urge visitors to stay safely inside the fence.
Everybody facing Nichols Place Darwin Local Court, Monday, October 7
Here is a list of matters listed at Nichols Place Darwin Local Court on Monday.
Everybody facing Alice Springs Local Court, Monday, October 7
Here is a list of matters listed at Alice Springs Local Court on Monday.