A man from Darwin's rural area, charged with several counts of bestiality, has been committed to face a jury trial in the Northern Territory Supreme Court.
- The man faces around 75 offences, including 13 charges of bestiality
- The details of the allegations against him have been suppressed from publication
- A judge has found there is sufficient evidence to put the man on trial in the Supreme Court
The man, who cannot be identified, is facing around 75 offences, including bestiality and charges related to possessing, accessing, and transmitting child abuse material.
He has not yet entered a plea in relation to the charges.
NT Local Court Chief Judge Elizabeth Morris today found there was sufficient evidence to put the man on trial, after his defence lawyer Julie Franz conceded there was a prima facie case against her client.
"He does not wish to call evidence [and] he is aware of his rights," said Ms Franz.
Senior Crown Prosecutor Marty Aust tendered a brief of evidence to the court, but the details of the allegations against the man cannot be published.
Under Northern Territory law, anyone charged with a sexual offence cannot be identified until they are committed to trial.
Ms Franz today made an application to further prevent her client's identity from being published, despite the committal, and asked the court to suppress publication of some of the charges against him.
"It's highly likely that in a small community that everyone will know about this case, and he simply won't be able to have a fair trial in relation [to] the matters he's pleading not guilty to," she said.
Mr Aust told the court the crown case was, on its face, "overwhelming" and that the charges were "inextricably linked".
"These are allegations, so, at the moment he's alleged to have committed about 75 counts on information," he said.
"In the interests of open justice [the public] are entitled to know that 'a person' … faces numerous charges.
"There's no prejudice to the accused."
Chief Judge Morris extended the suppression order over the man's identity and the details of the allegations against him, but allowed reporting of the bare facts.
"In my view, the public has a right and interest to know, even if his identity is protected … that people are processed through the system in relation to serious offences," she said.
"Whilst they might not know who, somebody has been committed to stand trial on a number of offences."
Chief Judge Morris told the defendant, who appeared via videolink from prison, that the matter was complex and involved a lot of charges.
The matter will next be mentioned in the NT Supreme Court in March.