Teen's murder case delayed after NT's forensic pathologist takes leave
Police say the 21-year-old man was found with a laceration to his neck a few blocks away from Tennant Creek's main street on June 12. (ABC News: Samantha Jonscher)
In short:
A 17-year-old boy who police allege stabbed a man to death in Tennant Creek three months ago has faced the Youth Justice Court charged with his murder.
Prosecutors asked Judge Carly Ingles for a three-month adjournment after telling the court the Northern Territory's permanent forensic pathologist was on leave.
What's next?
The case will return to court in December but prosecutors say they cannot guarantee a post-mortem report will be complete by then.
A teenager charged with murdering a 21-year-old man in Tennant Creek in June will have to wait another three months for a key piece of evidence in the case against him, a court has heard.
Northern Territory Police charged the 17-year-old boy with murder on June 14 after he allegedly stabbed the man to death two days earlier in the outback town five hours north of Alice Springs.
The case was mentioned in the Youth Justice Court today where the boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was excused from appearing.
Prosecutor David Dalrymple said investigators were still waiting on crucial evidence including forensic testing results, and both police and civilian witness statements.
Mr Dalrymple said crime scene evidence was also still being reviewed and was unlikely to be ready before mid-November.
NT Police allege the teenager stabbed the man to death "following an altercation" in the early hours of the morning. (ABC News: Hamish Harty)
He singled out the post-mortem examination report as a particularly "difficult item" as the NT's permanent forensic pathologist was on leave and it was unclear who else might take over.
Mr Dalrymple asked Judge Carly Ingles for a three-month adjournment but said he could not guarantee the post-mortem report would be complete by then.
Defence lawyer Kieran Bonser said the delay was a concern for their client but given the nature of the charge, it was appropriate that the Crown had a chance to obtain the material.
In granting the adjournment, Judge Ingles said as the case was proceeding under the Youth Justice Act, it should be resolved "as quickly as possible", however she said she understood prosecutors' hands were tied.
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