Seven slams Northern Territory’s Rolfe murder case gag ‘disgrace’

An attempt to silence Seven Network journalists investigating the murder case against policeman Zachary Rolfe was “a disgrace” commercial director Bruce McWilliam claims.

An attempt to silence Seven Network journalists investigating the murder case against Northern Territory policeman Zachary Rolfe has been labelled “a disgrace” in an email from commercial director Bruce McWilliam to lawyers for the NT government.

Within minutes of the jury returning not guilty verdicts in the Supreme Court on Friday for Constable Rolfe over the shooting death of Kumanjayi Walker, Mr McWilliam sent the email accused prosecutors of “cack-handed analysis” and “breathtaking ignorance” over threats to charge journalists criminally for reporting on the case.

Emails obtained by The Australian reveal the NT Director of Public Prosecutions was last year “in the process of formalising” contempt of court charges against journalists Denham Hitchcock and Taylor Auerbach over a Spotlight documentary that aired in October critical of the police investigation into Zachary Rolfe and the decision to charge him.

The program did not air in the NT, where Seven does not hold a broadcasting licence, as the case was still before the Supreme Court.

Zachary Rolfe was found not-guilty. Picture: Amanda Parkinson

On legal advice, the program was not aired on catch-up TV because of the risk of it being accessed from the Territory.

“Outstanding result. You must be very proud,” Mr McWilliam wrote on Friday following the not guilty verdict. “Our lawyers went to careful lengths but you didn’t even have the basic smarts to work out there was no (publication) in the NT! Even online … A splendid legal career awaits, I’m sure. Maybe you could go to Canberra with this level of incompetence and over-reaching?”

Seven’s Spotlight program aired body-worn camera footage of the shooting in all markets except the NT and published police notes revealing initial investi­gators on the case had cleared Constable Rolfe of wrongdoing.

Lawyers for the NT government wrote to Seven after the broadcast of the episode informing them that formal contempt of court charges would be laid against Hitchcock and Auerbach.

In response, Mr McWilliam wrote on Friday: “You are an inspiration to us all. Actually no. You’re a disgrace threatening innocent journalists who unlike you did their homework.”

When contacted by The Australian, Mr McWilliam said he was “surprised” the emails had been leaked, and he was “disappointed” the NT government did not acknowledge the network’s correspondence or withdrew its threat.

“In fact, at the start of last week, they were still persisting with a ridiculous attempt to interview our journalists notwithstanding a formal refusal from our lawyers,” he said.

Seven had been filming a further major documentary with Mr Rolfe and his family throughout the period preceding, during and after the trial. The Australian understands Channel Seven approached police in Darwin last week as part of its filming, requesting an on-camera interview.

“They missed the irony that we were trying to interview them,” Mr McWilliam said.