The murder trial of police officer Zachary Rolfe over the shooting death of Yuendumu teenager Kumanjayi Walker is due to get underway in the Northern Territory Supreme Court in Darwin this morning.
Constable Rolfe, 30, has pleaded not guilty to one charge of murder over the 19-year-old's death in the remote desert community in 2019.
He has also pleaded not guilty to alternative charges of manslaughter and engaging in a violent act causing death.
The shooting of Kumanjayi Walker, and the charges against Constable Rolfe, sent shockwaves around the country.
After multiple delays — including a last-minute legal battle that sent the case all the way to the High Court late last year — the proceedings are expected to run for three weeks, with selection of the jury to begin this morning.
What is the case about?
Mr Walker was shot in Yuendumu on Saturday November 9, 2019, and the murder charge was laid four days after that incident.
Constable Rolfe and other officers had driven the 300 kilometres from Alice Springs that day to arrest the teenager.
During the attempted arrest, Mr Walker stabbed Constable Rolfe in the shoulder with a pair of scissors, and the officer allegedly fired three shots.
Constable Rolfe pleaded not guilty to the charges and has been on bail, returning to the Northern Territory from Canberra for the trial.
Trial delayed by COVID-19, High Court challenge
After a preliminary hearing in the lower courts, Constable Rolfe was committed to stand trial in the Northern Territory Supreme Court in late 2020.
His lawyers made a successful bid to transfer proceedings from Alice Springs to Darwin.
The case has faced several delays, in part due to COVID-19 and border restrictions previously requiring interstate barristers to quarantine before appearing in the Northern Territory court.
His trial was originally scheduled to begin in August last year.
However, an hour before the jury was set to be empanelled, the High Court agreed to hear a challenge on a decision about what defences were available to Constable Rolfe.
After the High Court's ruling, the trial was rescheduled to begin today.
Jury selection is likely to take most of the day today, with evidence expected to begin tomorrow.
Plans to manage COVID-19 in the courtroom were discussed during pre-trial hearings last week, including by potentially reducing sitting hours, splitting the jury and swearing in "reserve" jurors.
Proceedings streamed to Alice Springs for Yuendumu community to see
The trial will be live-streamed to a courtroom in Alice Springs, where members of the public will be able to view proceedings taking place in Darwin.
A previous plan to stream the trial to Mr Walker's community of Yuendumu was scrapped at the request of some community members.
Heavy rain and rising COVID-19 case numbers have affected the plans of some community members who were hoping to travel from Yuendumu to follow the trial.
Constable Rolfe will be represented by South Australian barrister David Edwardson QC and local lawyer Luke Officer.
Prosecutors Phillip Strickland SC, a Sydney silk, and Victorian barrister Joanna Poole will appear for the Crown.
Justice John Burns took over from Acting Justice Dean Mildren to preside over the trial, after Justice Mildren retired late last year.
