Fugitive Jefferson Woodie found in hotel room with NAAJA officer Samantha Alampi had ‘highly complex’ needs

The young offender allegedly found in a hotel room with a parole officer appointed to him by NAAJA was subject to emotional and physical abuse as a child, court documents reveal.

Samantha Alampi, left, and Jefferson Woodie. Picture: Charmayne Allison/ABC

The young offender allegedly found in a hotel bed with a parole officer appointed to him by the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency was subject to emotional and physical abuse as a child, began using drugs when he was 12 years old and had “highly complex” needs stemming from his parents’ alcohol misuse, court documents have revealed.

These revelations come as senior legal sources raise concerns over how the NAAJA parole officer was allegedly able to “abuse her position of power” over the vulnerable young man, and the federal opposition call on the Albanese government to “explain their failure to intervene” in the operations of the long-embattled legal service.

The Australian on Monday revealed NAAJA parole officer Samantha Alampi had been arrested after she was ­allegedly found in bed with Jefferson Woodie, who had allegedly removed his electronic ankle bracelet and gone on the run, just months after getting out of jail.

Police will allege the NAAJA officer laid a bizarre trail to the Mercure Resort in Alice Springs, as she tried to help the man – who had previously been sentenced for manslaughter – escape a long second sentence for breaking his parole conditions.

CCTV footage of Samantha Alampi checking into the Diplomat Hotel in Alice Springs on Thursday.

Ms Alampi has since been charged for her involvement in perverting the course of justice, and will face Alice Springs Local Court on January 15. She was stood down from the service on Sunday and resigned on Monday.

NAAJA acting chief executive Anthony Beven – NAAJA’s sixth boss in about 18 months – said the legal service “takes the allegations seriously” and an internal investigation had been launched.

Court documents describe Woodie as a “vulnerable” young man who suffered from an “awful trifecta of frank abuse or neglect from early childhood, a disengagement from the education system and a prolonged history of polysubstance abuse”.

It also revealed Woodie ”suffers from foetal alcohol spectrum disorder” as a result of his mother drinking while he was in the womb.

“The offender was born at the Royal Darwin Hospital, and there was a history of maternal alcohol use during pregnancy. Despite that, it would appear the offender met all of the developmental milestones within normal limits,” Chief Justice Michael Grant said.

Samantha Alampi. Picture: Facebook

“The offender’s parents are recorded as having longstanding problems with alcohol and drug abuse. In that environment, the offender was admitted to the Royal Darwin Hospital when he was eight months of age for malnutrition, iron deficiency and difficulty swallowing.”

While Woodie lived with his mother until he was four years old, the conditions became “unsustainable on the basis of limited parental supervision, unstable living arrangements, neglect, emotional and physical abuse, and domestic violence in the household”.

“At age nine, the offender was referred for psychological and paediatric assessment due to challenging behaviours. He was diagnosed with ADHD and put on a medication regime when he was approximately 12 years of age,” Chief Justice Grant said.

“In addition to that prescribed medication, the offender began using cannabis and alcohol from the age of 12, and, subsequently, methamphetamine.”

The debacle has become the latest scandal for the NAAJA, which has been under pressure over claims of corruption, the hiring of a man arrested over domestic violence as its chairman, and a mass exodus of staff that resulted in vulnerable Aboriginal defendants being forced to represent themselves in court.

John Lawrence SC.

NT silk John Lawrence SC, who used to work for NAAJA and has long been a critic of the service’s leadership, told The Australian the controversy fits neatly into the “sick pantomime” emerging within the organisation. “The senior management of this service and its board couldn’t run a raffle and it is truly shameful that the rest of the players in the NT legal system and the community generally continue to keep looking away, allowing injustices to keep mounting,” he said.

A former NAAJA employee, whose new job precludes them from being named, said it was “really concerning” that Ms Alampi was allegedly able to abuse her position of power.

“Our young men are just as vulnerable and that was such a clear abuse of power from her,” the former employee said. “While this is not an NAAJA-specified incident – it’s not the only place it would happen – the Indigenous staff there would be really disappointed this has happened.”

The former employee said Indigenous Australians put their faith in the organisation, and instances such as this were a betrayal to vulnerable defendants. “If that had been my young family member and they were set to spend more time away now because of the interference of this woman, I would be furious,” they said.

NAAJA currently receives about $20m a year under the National Legal Assistance Partnership, which is provided by the federal government and administered by the Territory government. Those funding arrangements have been reassessed as part of the new National Access to Justice Partnership, which is set to commence at the end of June upon the expiry of the NLAP.

Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price. Picture: Brett Phibbs/PhibbsVisuals

NT Attorney-General, Marie-Clare Boothby. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Opposition Indigenous Australians spokeswoman Jacinta Nampijinpa Price told The Australian the allegations against Ms Alampi “raise further questions and demand an explanation from the Attorney-General as to how we have ended up in this situation”.

“Organisational culture begins at the top, and ultimately it is our most marginalised Indigenous Australians who have suffered because of the poor leadership and governance that has been allowed to fester,” she said.

“The Albanese government and the Attorney-General have a lot to answer for in the ongoing demise of NAAJA. They must explain their failure to intervene in a meaningful way at the beginning of NAAJA’s downward spiral, which has allowed things to get worse, not better, for vulnerable Indigenous Australians.”

Attorney-General Marie-Clare Boothby on Monday refused to indicate whether the NT government intended to cut funding to the organisation. “The NT government will work hard to negotiate for needs-based funding for the NT,” she said.

“The government’s priority is to ensure stable and high-performing legal services for Territorians.”