in ordinary circumstances under the previous regime, Ms Nudjulu would have been a prime candidate for a custodial sentence. She had previous convictions for possession of alcohol contrary to the Liquor Act - and was currently subject to a suspended sentence.
In any other circumstances Beny and Tahir would be prime candidates for the exercise of long-standing judicial discretions and the application of the ordinary judicial Sentencing Principles that provide clarity and transparency in sentencing.
NT Police officer Acting Sergeant Brad Fox had been charged with aggravated assault in relation to an incident at the Royal Darwin Hospital in December 2007 that ended with the death of film-maker Bob Plasto.
“spastic c**t”; “stupid f**king idiot”; “god, he f**king stinks”; “shut your face.”; “dumb f**k”; “f**king loser”; “d**khead over there”; “… no brain”; “f**king retard"; “piece of s**t that he is”; "you f**king wanker"; shut the f**k up”
This was the first of the many hundreds of roadside memorials that I've seen over the years that concerned a death by misadventure at the hands of another other than by motor-vehicle accident.
These market stalls contain "an assembly of skulls and skins arranged in a powerful, if often rather disturbing, display that can include horse and hyena heads, crocodiles, dried snakes and monkey skulls. The presence of so much decomposing flesh, crudely preserved with only ash or salt, makes for a very unhealthy background odour and a super-abundance of flies.
Our local guide then really grabbed our attention with her stories about the local pick-pockets and street muggers that prey upon unwitting tourists in this most European of South American cities. "It is okay, they don't use guns or knives" she said, a great relief to me "Just be careful, they are very quick" says the guide, "Give them your money and they won't hurt you."
