Zach Rolfe murder trial delayed indefinitely

The murder trial of NT police officer Zach Rolfe has been formally adjourned indefinitely.

Zach Rolfe and his legal team arrive at the Supreme Court in Darwin on Wednesday. Picture: Jason Walls

• Zach Rolfe trial set to be adjourned due to prosecution counsel stuck in New South Wales
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THE murder trial of NT police officer Zach Rolfe has been formally adjourned indefinitely.

Rolfe was due to face trial over the death of 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker in Yuendumu during an arrest gone wrong in November 2019.

He has denied any wrongdoing and was set to plead not guilty when the jury convened on Monday.

But following four days of pre-trial hearings in the Supreme Court in Darwin Justice Dean Mildren adjourned the case until a date to be fixed when the prosecution’s legal team were unable to secure an exemption from Covid-19 travel restrictions.

Lead Crown prosecutor Philip Strickland SC is based in Sydney which has been experiencing a wave of new cases in the lead up to the trial and has been declared a hotspot by chief health officer Hugh Heggie.

The case returns to court for a directions hearing before Acting Chief Justice Stephen Southwood on Thursday afternoon.

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