The lawyer now representing the man responsible for a Darwin shooting spree in which four people were killed has flagged the possibility of withdrawing her client's guilty plea.
Ben Hoffmann, 47, pleaded guilty in November to murdering Hassan Baydoun, Michael Sisois and Robert Courtney, as well as to the manslaughter of Nigel Hellings, during an hour-long attack in June 2019.
Hoffmann changed his plea from not guilty during the final weeks of his nine-week trial, and had been due to be sentenced.
An adjournment was granted in the Northern Territory Supreme Court last month, when Hoffmann said he was struggling to get legal representation and legal aid funding after firing his high-profile legal team in November.
The court today heard Hoffmann was now represented by Patricia Petersen, of law firm Legal Exchange, who was admitted as a lawyer in the NT two years ago after multiple tilts at politics.
Dr Petersen told the court she was yet to receive a charge sheet, collect a brief of evidence or have a proper face-to-face meeting with Hoffmann.
She sought another adjournment in order to review that material and take further instructions, including on whether Hoffmann would seek leave to change his earlier plea.
Dr Petersen said it had been "very difficult" to communicate with her client and raised concerns about his capacity to give instructions, and his apparent memory loss.
Date for sentence to be set unless application made to change plea
Prosecutor Lloyd Babb told the court he was "anxious to get the sentencing proceedings on" and "keen that this not go on for too much longer".
Justice John Burns said he shared the prosecutor's concerns but gave another adjournment of three weeks.
"But I make it very clear that this is the last adjournment that will be given for the purposes of the offender giving instructions to his lawyers," he said.
"I expect on the next occasion that either an application will be made on behalf of the offender or I will set a date for the sentence hearing."
Hoffmann told the court last month he had been "pressured and bullied" into changing his plea.
Justice Burns told Hoffmann he would need to adduce evidence for that claim in any application to change his plea and waive legal privilege with his previous lawyers to enable them to give evidence.
Hoffmann's previous lawyers last year rejected any suggestion they did not represent him to the best of their abilities.
Outside court, Dr Petersen read a brief statement on Hoffmann's behalf, saying he wanted the Darwin community to know he was "very saddened by the horrific circumstances which led to his matter being before the court."
"He is very committed to the truth of the matter coming out," she said.
"The main thing, though, is he is genuinely extremely saddened by what has occurred."
Dr Petersen said Hoffmann's mental health and capacity would likely "play a significant role in the next stage and the stages after that, with respect to his court matter."
She said it would be premature to comment on the likelihood of a plea withdrawal.
