NT to strengthen bail laws after Nightcliff Supermarket owner Linford Feick allegedly killed by teenager on bail
Lia Finocchiaro will recall parliament to pass the ‘toughest bail laws’ in the country, after The Australian revealed the teen arrested for allegedly killing an elderly supermarket owner had been bailed for aggravated assault and rape.
NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro will recall parliament next week to pass “the toughest bail laws” in the nation after a Darwin teenager who had been charged with a raft of serious violent offences allegedly stabbed an elderly supermarket owner to death.
The Australian can reveal the 18-year-old who allegedly killed Linford Feick on Wednesday night was on bail at the time for allegedly raping and assaulting a 14-year-old girl.
The teenager, first granted bail by an on-call judge in late 2023, had also been charged with depriving a person of their personal liberty, assaulting and resisting police, and spitting on an officer or emergency worker.
He was released under the condition he did not leave a tiny remote community six hours south of Darwin, and that he “not enter the Darwin area” except for urgent medical treatment or to attend court. He last appeared in the NT Supreme Court on April 17, when his bail was continued.
Police will allege the young man – who has been charged with one count of murder – was stealing from the supermarket when Mr Feick confronted him and asked him to put the items back. He allegedly stabbed Mr Feick and fled the scene on a bicycle.
In a heated press conference on Thursday, Ms Finocchiaro announced the Country Liberal Party government would move to expand laws to ensure a judge is satisfied an offender is not going to pose a risk to the community before they are granted bail.
“These laws are modelled off laws in both Victoria and NSW, which set an overarching primary test for our courts, which is the safety of the community is the number one priority,” she said, adding “more work needs to be done”.
“We stand here ready. I spoke to the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and asked she reconvened parliament for Wednesday next week so that this new law can be ready and debated through all stages of parliament, and she has agreed and I thank her for that.”
The alleged attacker was first granted bail by an “on-call judge” while in the police watch house on December 22, 2023. His bail conditions also prohibited him from contacting or approaching the alleged victim – a 14-year-old girl – and he was prohibited from consuming alcohol or using drugs.
Questions are being asked as to why such lenient conditions were imposed – or why bail was granted in the first place – and how they were not addressed, considering his matter was heard around two dozen times in the Youth Justice Court and twice in the Supreme Court.
The teenager also appeared in court at the end of January. No conviction was recorded and he was placed on a good behaviour bond.
NT Police Assistant Commissioner Travis Wurst on Thursday told a press conference officers flocked to the area after initial reports of the alleged killing.
“Northern Territory Police surged with all available resources from both frontline and specialist areas on to the area,” Mr Wurst said.
“The family of the person was located, and through that ongoing engagement with that particular family and the community, that person had turned himself into police, which is a good outcome for the community.”
Assistant Commissioner Wurst could not confirm whether police opposed bail for the teenager.
Mr Feick’s wife, Margaret, posted in a local community Facebook group in the early hours of Thursday that her life had been “shattered”.
“My beautiful husband of 51 years was stolen from me, his children and his seven grandchildren,” the post reads. “This is so hurtful.”
She acknowledged the “trauma” experienced by staff and customers who witnessed the alleged stabbing, and said she believed it occurred after the young man was confronted by her husband for theft.
“Linford worked so sincerely to maintain the community vibe with smiles, trust and humanity,” she wrote. “A beautiful man, a true gentleman, and my soulmate … gone forever. God bless him. RIP my darling man.”
Mr Feick’s son, Ben, said the incident was “our worst nightmare come true”.
“He was a great man, he was well loved, we’re so appreciative of the community outreach,” he told The Australian.
“It’s our worst nightmare come true, this is something that has been a reality to us for a long time.”
Mr Feick’s store is described online as a “totally independently, family-run supermarket”.
His death comes just over two years after the death of bottleshop worker Declan Laverty, who was murdered at the Airport Tavern BWS in Darwin’s northern suburbs in March 2023.
His killer, Keith Kerinauia – 19 at the time of the attack – was last year sentenced to life in jail with a non-parole period of 20 years.
The Australian revealed after the murder that Kerinauia had been released on bail for aggravated robbery and aggravated assault just over a month before Mr Laverty’s death.
Declan’s Law was one of the first pieces of legislation passed by the Country Liberal Party when it took over in government from NT Labor last year; it legislated a presumption against bail for youth and adult serious violent offenders, regardless of whether a weapon was involved in the alleged offending.
Breach of bail also became an offence for all, with electronic monitoring mandatory for those granted bail. In addition, police were granted more powers to “wand” for knives.
The Territory has seen an increase in violent knife crime in recent months, with Ana Aitcheson, operations manager at Darwin domestic violence shelter Dawn House, telling The Australian this month: “The amounts of stabbings up here, that’s increasing. Knife violence – everybody’s got a machete or a knife or scissors on them, it’s just wild.”
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