Convicted triple murderer Benjamin Hoffmann may change his guilty plea, his new lawyer has told the Northern Territory Supreme Court.

February 11, 2022

A gunman convicted of murdering three people in Darwin and killing another during a drug-fuelled shooting spree may change his guilty plea.

Benjamin Glenn Hoffmann pleaded guilty in November to murdering Hassan Baydoun, 33, Michael Sisois, 57, and Rob Courtney, 52 and the manslaughter of Nigel Hellings, 75, on June 4, 2019.

The 47-year-old then sacked his lawyers before he was sentenced, saying they had been arguing and he had lost faith in their ability to defend him, and he was in need of expert advice.

Hoffmann has since found a new lawyer, Patricia Petersen, who says her client may have a “significant and substantive” reason for changing his guilty plea.

“I have not had a face-to-face meeting with Mr Hoffmann. Today, I met him face-to-face for the first time,” she told the Northern Territory Supreme Court on Friday.

“Based on the conversations I have had with Mr Hoffmann it is looking increasingly likely that the avenue (he) was pursuing last time (he) was in court Your Honour, we probably will not be going down that path,” she said.

Ms Petersen also said she had concerns about Hoffmann’s capacity to receive advice and give legal instructions.

“It has been very difficult for Mr Hoffmann seemingly to communicate with me, he appears to have memory loss,” she said.

“Those issues, of course, are quite separate to whether Mr Hoffmann was of some abnormality or defect of the mind at the time of the offending.”

Justice John Burns said he was keen not to delay Hoffmann’s sentencing but granted Ms Petersen a three-week adjournment so she could get up to speed with the case and meet with Hoffmann.

The matter will return to the same court on March 4.