Aaron Bunch Journalist with Australian Associated Press | Collection of published work | + 61 484 008 119 | abunch@aap.com.au

Aaron Bunch
Murder-accused cop’s trial to be delayed

A trial of a Northern Territory police officer accused of murdering an Indigenous man is expected to be delayed due to Sydney’s COVID-19 outbreak.

July 22, 2021

A Northern Territory policeman’s long-awaited trial for allegedly murdering an Indigenous man during an outback arrest is set to be rescheduled due to COVID-19.

Constable Zachary Rolfe, 29, is accused of murdering Kumanjayi Walker, 19, who was shot three times during an arrest in the remote community of Yuendumu in November 2019.

He’s supposed to stand trial in the NT Supreme Court on Monday but much of the Crown’s interstate prosecution team cannot get into the territory without quarantining for a fortnight.

They’re in NSW where 110 new local Delta variant cases were recorded on Wednesday and a lockdown in Greater Sydney continues.

Acting Justice Dean Mildren is expected to make an order on Thursday adjourning the trial to a future date when the outbreak is contained.

“This is because prosecuting counsel has been affected by COVID-19 travel restrictions and are presently unable to make their way to Darwin,” a court spokesman said.

The trial was expected to run for four weeks in Darwin.

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