After waiting three months to hear closing arguments in the Paul Arnold domestic violence case at Darwin local court this week, the former Darwin councillor and his alleged victim will need to wait until February next year for the next available date, as both the judge and lawyer's schedules conflict.
While judge Therese Austen said she had a "third circuit" on her calendar, defence barrister John Tippett QC said didn't want to miss his son's graduation, making a date of December 13th untenable.
The judge-only hearing was scheduled to run for two weeks in July this year, but was adjourned to October 8th for closing arguments.
A cancelled flight from Cairns to Darwin for DV accused Paul Arnold further delayed yesterday's hearing, with closing arguments by crown prosecutor Rebecca Everitt and defence barrister John Tippett QC not starting until 2pm.
Clocking up six-hours for their closing arguments, both the prosecution and defence counsel appeared to be questioned at great length by judge Austen throughout their delivery, before each got up a second time to counter one-another's submissions or assertions under an avalanche of legal arguments which saw The Mango Inquirer ready to catch a bus to Holtze prison and do a sentence myself.
After defence barrister John Tippett QC started throwing the dates of "March, April or May" out there, the three lady journalists from Nine, ABC and NT News appeared a little gob-smacked, while I just got up and walked out of the courtroom.
A source has since confirmed the verdict is scheduled for January 31st.
With such lengthy delays in the justice system and legal aid funding shortfalls; The Mango Inquirer proposes a commercial television arrangement where proceedings are televised in a Judge Judy-styled fashion; or even just an ordinary straight live feed.
I'm even happy to sit in the front row of court everyday; like I already do, and livestream it from the one device. Or hang me on a tether from the ceiling, where I can get a 360 degree view.
Subscriptions could be sold. Or daily tokens.
Let's open up the court system, and make NT justice great again.
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