Darwin Candle-lit vigil for man who died in police custody, calls for inquiry into Kumanjayi White's death
Hundreds of people have attended a candle-lit vigil outside a territory's parliament in support of a desert community which has lost a second young man in a death-in-custody incident.
The vigil in Darwin was held on Wednesday night amid growing calls for an independent investigation into the death of mentally disabled man Kumanjayi White on May 27.
He died shortly after being forcibly restrained by two plain-clothes police officers in a supermarket in Alice Springs.
Police allege the the 24-year-old, originally from the outback community of Yuendumu, was shoplifting and had assaulted a security guard who confronted him in the confectionery aisle.
At Wednesday's vigil a large banner stating 'We stand with Yuendumu' was displayed in front of the parliament's entrance while another banner laid on the ground read 'Justice for White'.
Organisers invited people to put lighted candles or flowers on that banner following speeches about the mistrust of police in Aboriginal communities and the need for an external inquiry into Mr White's death.
Several women elders of the Warlpiri people wailed in grief as the tributes were laid.
Justice Not Jails spokesperson Jade Richie said 'no police should be investigating police' in a death-in-custody case.
Her group is organising a 'national week of action' in response to Mr White's death in custody, with vigils planned across the country.
NT Police and Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro have strongly rejected calls for an external investigation, saying police are the right authority to carry out an investigation coupled with a coronial inquiry.
On Wednesday the Central Land Council (CLC) representing Indigenous people in the NT's dry desert centre called on the federal government to withhold funding from the NT government.
The council wants an independent police conduct commission to be set up with adequate funding so an independent inquiry led by the NT coroner can be concluded within a year.
'Unlike most jurisdictions the NT lacks a body to investigate police misconduct and has failed to overhaul the culture of its police force,' CLC chair Warren Williams said in a statement.
'But let me be clear, only money will force the NT government to act. Our lives are worth less than a chocolate bar to those in power and money is the only language they understand.'
Mr Williams said measures must target officers with 'a history of complaints and racist attitudes' so Indigenous communities could regain confidence in the police after trust has been eroded.
The Yuendumu community also lost 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker in 2019 when he was fatally shot by then NT police officer Zachary Rolfe during a bungled arrest.
Mr Rolfe was in 2022 found not guilty of all charges over the death.
The Kumanjayi Walker coronial findings have been postponed until July 7 after Kumanjayi White's death in custody.
Federal Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy said on Thursday an independent death in custody probe might be warranted 'in the interest of having some separation'.
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Perth Now
25 minutes ago
- Perth Now
Controversy over ‘offensive' park name getting ‘woke' change
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The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
Albanese will need some nuance in facing a female opposition leader
Anthony Albanese loves a trophy, especially a human one. He prides himself on his various "captain's pick" candidates - good campaigners he has steered into seats. Way back in the Gillard days, he was key in persuading discontented Liberal Peter Slipper to defect. Slipper became an independent and Labor's speaker. The exercise helped the government's numbers, but the bold play didn't end well for Labor or for Slipper. The government was tarnished, and Slipper, relentlessly pursued by the Coalition and mired in controversy, eventually had to quit the speakership. The affair did produce Julia Gillard's famous misogyny speech, however. Now Albanese has another gee-whiz prize - Western Australian senator Dorinda Cox, who has defected from the Greens. Cox, after being defeated in a bid for Greens deputy leader, approached Labor and the PM drove her course to being accepted into the party. 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The manoeuvre makes a marginal but insignificant difference to Senate numbers - Labor will still need the Greens to pass legislation opposed by the Coalition. Taking in Cox is a risk, and some in Labor are looking at it askance. The prime minister's embrace of Cox contradicts Labor's argument when its Western Australian senator Fatima Payman defected to become an independent. It said then hers was a Labor seat and she should therefore resign. But this wouldn't be the first time expediency trumped consistency in politics. Cox, who is Indigenous and was spokeswoman for First Nations and resources in the last parliament, has been a fierce critic of extending the North West Shelf gas project, which the government has just announced. Albanese says he is confident she "understands that being a member of the Labor Party means that she will support positions that are made by the Labor Party". She has also faced allegations of treating staff badly. Labor discounts the claims against her, saying they are overblown and a product of Greens factionalism and toxicity. Certainly, she was given a tough time by the hard-left faction represented by deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi. Labor would be wise to ensure Cox feels supported in her new party home. Albanese perhaps calculates that the worst that can happen is there's a blow up and she defects to the crossbench. Labor could shrug and say, she was never really one of us. Snatching a senator from the Greens is particularly satisfying to Albanese because he hates the party so much. Last term, lower house Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather (defeated at the election) really got under his skin. More generally, the Greens held up important legislation, most notably on housing. In the new Senate, Labor will need only the Greens to pass legislation opposed by the Coalition. How new Greens leader Larissa Waters - who replaced Adam Bandt after he lost his seat - handles the party's relationship with the government will be crucial for the more contentious parts of Labor's legislative program. The usually low-key Waters will be under a lot of pressure. The Greens had a bad election, losing three lower house seats. Now they have lost a senator at the start of Waters' watch. Waters conceded on the Serious Danger podcast in late May that Labor had successfully run the narrative of the Greens as blockers. "So I do think we're going to need to be quite deft in how we handle balance of power in this term, [...] People want us to be constructive. They don't just want us to roll over and tick off on any old shit. They want meaningful reforms." Waters will want to pick her fights carefully, and also find ways of pursuing the Greens' agenda where the party co-operates. The first deal is likely to be on the government's legislation to increase the tax on those with large superannuation balances, which contains the controversial provision to tax unrealised capital gains. Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and her team will confront some of the same problems as the Greens - when to oppose and when to seek to negotiate with the government. For his part, Albanese will have a novel challenge with Ley - what stance to adopt against the first female opposition leader, especially but not only in parliamentary clashes. After facing two alpha male Liberal leaders, Scott Morrison and Peter Dutton, a new approach will obviously be necessary. As one Labor man succinctly puts it, "Labor can't monster a woman". There can be no repeat of Albanese, a frontbencher a decade ago in the Shorten opposition, interjecting to urge a female colleague engaged in a stoush with Ley to "smash her". For Ley, trying to deal with the Liberals' multiple difficulties in attracting women voters and candidates must be high on her agenda. Former Liberal federal president Alan Stockdale, one of the three-person group currently running the NSW division of the party, showed himself part of the problem when this week he told the NSW Liberal Women's Council, "The women in this party are so assertive now that we may need some special rules for men to get them pre-selected". READ MORE: Stockdale said later he was being "light-hearted". Tone deaf might be a better term. Ley jumped on him. "There is nothing wrong with being an assertive woman. In fact I encourage assertive women to join the Liberal Party." The jury is out on whether Ley will be able to make any sort of fist of her near-impossible job. But in the short time she's been leader, she has shown she is willing to be assertive. She emerged from the brief split in the Coalition looking much steadier than Nationals leader David Littleproud, even though she had to persuade her party room to accept the minor party's policy demands. In her frontbench reshuffle, she was willing to wear the inevitable criticism that came with dropping a couple of senior women who had under-performed. As deputy leader, Ley adjusted her style a while before the election, toning down the aggression and sometimes wild attacks, that had characterised her performance earlier in the term. A Liberal source said she found her "line and length". As leader, she will have others, notably deputy Ted O'Brien, to do the head-kicking, giving her room to attempt to develop a positive political persona. Labor leaned into attacking Dutton - never afraid to name him. With Ley, Albanese might adopt the Bob Carr approach of avoiding using his opponent's name. At least until he finds his line and length in dealing with her. Anthony Albanese loves a trophy, especially a human one. He prides himself on his various "captain's pick" candidates - good campaigners he has steered into seats. Way back in the Gillard days, he was key in persuading discontented Liberal Peter Slipper to defect. Slipper became an independent and Labor's speaker. The exercise helped the government's numbers, but the bold play didn't end well for Labor or for Slipper. The government was tarnished, and Slipper, relentlessly pursued by the Coalition and mired in controversy, eventually had to quit the speakership. The affair did produce Julia Gillard's famous misogyny speech, however. Now Albanese has another gee-whiz prize - Western Australian senator Dorinda Cox, who has defected from the Greens. Cox, after being defeated in a bid for Greens deputy leader, approached Labor and the PM drove her course to being accepted into the party. The manoeuvre makes a marginal but insignificant difference to Senate numbers - Labor will still need the Greens to pass legislation opposed by the Coalition. Taking in Cox is a risk, and some in Labor are looking at it askance. The prime minister's embrace of Cox contradicts Labor's argument when its Western Australian senator Fatima Payman defected to become an independent. It said then hers was a Labor seat and she should therefore resign. But this wouldn't be the first time expediency trumped consistency in politics. Cox, who is Indigenous and was spokeswoman for First Nations and resources in the last parliament, has been a fierce critic of extending the North West Shelf gas project, which the government has just announced. Albanese says he is confident she "understands that being a member of the Labor Party means that she will support positions that are made by the Labor Party". She has also faced allegations of treating staff badly. Labor discounts the claims against her, saying they are overblown and a product of Greens factionalism and toxicity. Certainly, she was given a tough time by the hard-left faction represented by deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi. Labor would be wise to ensure Cox feels supported in her new party home. Albanese perhaps calculates that the worst that can happen is there's a blow up and she defects to the crossbench. Labor could shrug and say, she was never really one of us. Snatching a senator from the Greens is particularly satisfying to Albanese because he hates the party so much. Last term, lower house Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather (defeated at the election) really got under his skin. More generally, the Greens held up important legislation, most notably on housing. In the new Senate, Labor will need only the Greens to pass legislation opposed by the Coalition. How new Greens leader Larissa Waters - who replaced Adam Bandt after he lost his seat - handles the party's relationship with the government will be crucial for the more contentious parts of Labor's legislative program. The usually low-key Waters will be under a lot of pressure. The Greens had a bad election, losing three lower house seats. Now they have lost a senator at the start of Waters' watch. Waters conceded on the Serious Danger podcast in late May that Labor had successfully run the narrative of the Greens as blockers. "So I do think we're going to need to be quite deft in how we handle balance of power in this term, [...] People want us to be constructive. They don't just want us to roll over and tick off on any old shit. They want meaningful reforms." Waters will want to pick her fights carefully, and also find ways of pursuing the Greens' agenda where the party co-operates. The first deal is likely to be on the government's legislation to increase the tax on those with large superannuation balances, which contains the controversial provision to tax unrealised capital gains. Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and her team will confront some of the same problems as the Greens - when to oppose and when to seek to negotiate with the government. For his part, Albanese will have a novel challenge with Ley - what stance to adopt against the first female opposition leader, especially but not only in parliamentary clashes. After facing two alpha male Liberal leaders, Scott Morrison and Peter Dutton, a new approach will obviously be necessary. As one Labor man succinctly puts it, "Labor can't monster a woman". There can be no repeat of Albanese, a frontbencher a decade ago in the Shorten opposition, interjecting to urge a female colleague engaged in a stoush with Ley to "smash her". For Ley, trying to deal with the Liberals' multiple difficulties in attracting women voters and candidates must be high on her agenda. Former Liberal federal president Alan Stockdale, one of the three-person group currently running the NSW division of the party, showed himself part of the problem when this week he told the NSW Liberal Women's Council, "The women in this party are so assertive now that we may need some special rules for men to get them pre-selected". READ MORE: Stockdale said later he was being "light-hearted". Tone deaf might be a better term. Ley jumped on him. "There is nothing wrong with being an assertive woman. In fact I encourage assertive women to join the Liberal Party." The jury is out on whether Ley will be able to make any sort of fist of her near-impossible job. But in the short time she's been leader, she has shown she is willing to be assertive. She emerged from the brief split in the Coalition looking much steadier than Nationals leader David Littleproud, even though she had to persuade her party room to accept the minor party's policy demands. In her frontbench reshuffle, she was willing to wear the inevitable criticism that came with dropping a couple of senior women who had under-performed. As deputy leader, Ley adjusted her style a while before the election, toning down the aggression and sometimes wild attacks, that had characterised her performance earlier in the term. A Liberal source said she found her "line and length". As leader, she will have others, notably deputy Ted O'Brien, to do the head-kicking, giving her room to attempt to develop a positive political persona. Labor leaned into attacking Dutton - never afraid to name him. With Ley, Albanese might adopt the Bob Carr approach of avoiding using his opponent's name. At least until he finds his line and length in dealing with her. Anthony Albanese loves a trophy, especially a human one. He prides himself on his various "captain's pick" candidates - good campaigners he has steered into seats. Way back in the Gillard days, he was key in persuading discontented Liberal Peter Slipper to defect. Slipper became an independent and Labor's speaker. The exercise helped the government's numbers, but the bold play didn't end well for Labor or for Slipper. The government was tarnished, and Slipper, relentlessly pursued by the Coalition and mired in controversy, eventually had to quit the speakership. The affair did produce Julia Gillard's famous misogyny speech, however. Now Albanese has another gee-whiz prize - Western Australian senator Dorinda Cox, who has defected from the Greens. Cox, after being defeated in a bid for Greens deputy leader, approached Labor and the PM drove her course to being accepted into the party. The manoeuvre makes a marginal but insignificant difference to Senate numbers - Labor will still need the Greens to pass legislation opposed by the Coalition. Taking in Cox is a risk, and some in Labor are looking at it askance. The prime minister's embrace of Cox contradicts Labor's argument when its Western Australian senator Fatima Payman defected to become an independent. It said then hers was a Labor seat and she should therefore resign. But this wouldn't be the first time expediency trumped consistency in politics. Cox, who is Indigenous and was spokeswoman for First Nations and resources in the last parliament, has been a fierce critic of extending the North West Shelf gas project, which the government has just announced. Albanese says he is confident she "understands that being a member of the Labor Party means that she will support positions that are made by the Labor Party". She has also faced allegations of treating staff badly. Labor discounts the claims against her, saying they are overblown and a product of Greens factionalism and toxicity. Certainly, she was given a tough time by the hard-left faction represented by deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi. Labor would be wise to ensure Cox feels supported in her new party home. Albanese perhaps calculates that the worst that can happen is there's a blow up and she defects to the crossbench. Labor could shrug and say, she was never really one of us. Snatching a senator from the Greens is particularly satisfying to Albanese because he hates the party so much. Last term, lower house Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather (defeated at the election) really got under his skin. More generally, the Greens held up important legislation, most notably on housing. In the new Senate, Labor will need only the Greens to pass legislation opposed by the Coalition. How new Greens leader Larissa Waters - who replaced Adam Bandt after he lost his seat - handles the party's relationship with the government will be crucial for the more contentious parts of Labor's legislative program. The usually low-key Waters will be under a lot of pressure. The Greens had a bad election, losing three lower house seats. Now they have lost a senator at the start of Waters' watch. Waters conceded on the Serious Danger podcast in late May that Labor had successfully run the narrative of the Greens as blockers. "So I do think we're going to need to be quite deft in how we handle balance of power in this term, [...] People want us to be constructive. They don't just want us to roll over and tick off on any old shit. They want meaningful reforms." Waters will want to pick her fights carefully, and also find ways of pursuing the Greens' agenda where the party co-operates. The first deal is likely to be on the government's legislation to increase the tax on those with large superannuation balances, which contains the controversial provision to tax unrealised capital gains. Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and her team will confront some of the same problems as the Greens - when to oppose and when to seek to negotiate with the government. For his part, Albanese will have a novel challenge with Ley - what stance to adopt against the first female opposition leader, especially but not only in parliamentary clashes. After facing two alpha male Liberal leaders, Scott Morrison and Peter Dutton, a new approach will obviously be necessary. As one Labor man succinctly puts it, "Labor can't monster a woman". There can be no repeat of Albanese, a frontbencher a decade ago in the Shorten opposition, interjecting to urge a female colleague engaged in a stoush with Ley to "smash her". For Ley, trying to deal with the Liberals' multiple difficulties in attracting women voters and candidates must be high on her agenda. Former Liberal federal president Alan Stockdale, one of the three-person group currently running the NSW division of the party, showed himself part of the problem when this week he told the NSW Liberal Women's Council, "The women in this party are so assertive now that we may need some special rules for men to get them pre-selected". READ MORE: Stockdale said later he was being "light-hearted". Tone deaf might be a better term. Ley jumped on him. "There is nothing wrong with being an assertive woman. In fact I encourage assertive women to join the Liberal Party." The jury is out on whether Ley will be able to make any sort of fist of her near-impossible job. But in the short time she's been leader, she has shown she is willing to be assertive. She emerged from the brief split in the Coalition looking much steadier than Nationals leader David Littleproud, even though she had to persuade her party room to accept the minor party's policy demands. In her frontbench reshuffle, she was willing to wear the inevitable criticism that came with dropping a couple of senior women who had under-performed. As deputy leader, Ley adjusted her style a while before the election, toning down the aggression and sometimes wild attacks, that had characterised her performance earlier in the term. A Liberal source said she found her "line and length". As leader, she will have others, notably deputy Ted O'Brien, to do the head-kicking, giving her room to attempt to develop a positive political persona. Labor leaned into attacking Dutton - never afraid to name him. With Ley, Albanese might adopt the Bob Carr approach of avoiding using his opponent's name. At least until he finds his line and length in dealing with her.
The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
Mum and son to spend decades in jail for 'cold-blooded' murder of teen
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains the name and image of a person who has died. More than three years ago, the family of an 18-year-old Indigenous teenager made a Facebook group titled 'Justice for Taj Hart' after he was brutally murdered in broad daylight. On June 6, his relatives and friends wore t-shirts emblazoned with the same slogan as they packed out a Wollongong courtroom, where his killers Katie Walmlsey and her son Jayden Walmsley-Hume were sentenced to decades in jail. "I hope they rot in hell," Mr Hart's grandmother Glenda Hart said, relieved with the judge's sentence. Walmsley-Hume, 21, fidgeted throughout the hearing and received a jail-term of 23 years and six months, while Walmsley, 41, sat stone-faced and received a jail-term of 21 years and six months. Justice Robertson Wright described the murder as a "cowardly and cold-blooded attack" that "brutally cut short" Mr Hart's life. The court heard Mr Hart was walking along Old Southern Road in South Nowra to meet up with a friend on February 24, 2022, when Walmsley-Hume swerved his ute seven metres off the road to hit him. Walmsley, sitting in the passenger seat, was heard declaring to her son "we got him good" after the grill smashed Mr Hart's torso from behind, causing his body to bend over the bonnet. "They did not stop, they did not call an ambulance," Justice Wright said. A woman who was picking her daughter up at the nearby school rushed to Mr Hart's aid, pulling an identification card out of his bag so she could call him by his name in his final moments. Severely injured, Mr Hart was taken to Shoalhaven Hospital, but he could not be saved. Walmsley and Walmsley-Hume were arrested at a Sydney motel on April 7, 2022 after they fled the Shoalhaven. Justice Wright said there had been "growing animosity" between Mr Hart's friend group and Walmsley-Hume in the months leading up to the hit-and-run. There were a number of fights, one at a park and another at a PCYC, in which Walmsley-Hume "came off second best". In January 2022, Walmsley-Hume attempted to stab Mr Hart after he ambushed him at his grandmother's house. Walmsley-Hume was left with a broken elbow after Mr Hart hit him with a pole in self-defence. Walmsley-Hume said "you're dead" before he left the scene. The judge said this threat was of particular significance given the offender "saw an opportunity to act on the desire" to have Mr Hart gone the following month. Justice Wright said Walmsley had participated in some of the feuds involving her son. "Both mother and son were on the lookout for an opportunity to enact the revenge they wanted," the judge said. Walmsley participated in Mr Hart's murder by hanging out the window of the ute to locate him, failing to stop and render aid, and telling her son "we got him good". The offenders had pleaded not guilty to murder, but were found guilty by a jury following a four-week Supreme Court trial. Justice Wright extended the court's sympathy to Mr Hart's family and friends, describing the teenager as a "loving son and grandson" with a "bright future". "His family feels as if their lives have been shattered," the judge said. "It's important to acknowledge that the death of Mr Hart was a personal and human tragedy." The judge factored Walmsley-Hume's difficult upbringing into his sentence, including him being introduced to cannabis at age 9, meth at 12, and heroin by his father at 13. He continued to use drugs until his arrest and had also been punished in custody for possessing illicit substances and weapons. The court accepted he had expressed remorse and attempted to seek assistance for his drug addiction. The judge took into account Walmsley's depressive disorder, epilepsy, and cannabis use disorder, with the court hearing she struggled with heavy drinking after the deaths of several family members. He could not accept she had shown any remorse. Walmsley-Hume will become eligible for release in April 2038, while his mother will become eligible the year prior. Mr Hart's family smiled and held hands as the sentence was handed down. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains the name and image of a person who has died. More than three years ago, the family of an 18-year-old Indigenous teenager made a Facebook group titled 'Justice for Taj Hart' after he was brutally murdered in broad daylight. On June 6, his relatives and friends wore t-shirts emblazoned with the same slogan as they packed out a Wollongong courtroom, where his killers Katie Walmlsey and her son Jayden Walmsley-Hume were sentenced to decades in jail. "I hope they rot in hell," Mr Hart's grandmother Glenda Hart said, relieved with the judge's sentence. Walmsley-Hume, 21, fidgeted throughout the hearing and received a jail-term of 23 years and six months, while Walmsley, 41, sat stone-faced and received a jail-term of 21 years and six months. Justice Robertson Wright described the murder as a "cowardly and cold-blooded attack" that "brutally cut short" Mr Hart's life. The court heard Mr Hart was walking along Old Southern Road in South Nowra to meet up with a friend on February 24, 2022, when Walmsley-Hume swerved his ute seven metres off the road to hit him. Walmsley, sitting in the passenger seat, was heard declaring to her son "we got him good" after the grill smashed Mr Hart's torso from behind, causing his body to bend over the bonnet. "They did not stop, they did not call an ambulance," Justice Wright said. A woman who was picking her daughter up at the nearby school rushed to Mr Hart's aid, pulling an identification card out of his bag so she could call him by his name in his final moments. Severely injured, Mr Hart was taken to Shoalhaven Hospital, but he could not be saved. Walmsley and Walmsley-Hume were arrested at a Sydney motel on April 7, 2022 after they fled the Shoalhaven. Justice Wright said there had been "growing animosity" between Mr Hart's friend group and Walmsley-Hume in the months leading up to the hit-and-run. There were a number of fights, one at a park and another at a PCYC, in which Walmsley-Hume "came off second best". In January 2022, Walmsley-Hume attempted to stab Mr Hart after he ambushed him at his grandmother's house. Walmsley-Hume was left with a broken elbow after Mr Hart hit him with a pole in self-defence. Walmsley-Hume said "you're dead" before he left the scene. The judge said this threat was of particular significance given the offender "saw an opportunity to act on the desire" to have Mr Hart gone the following month. Justice Wright said Walmsley had participated in some of the feuds involving her son. "Both mother and son were on the lookout for an opportunity to enact the revenge they wanted," the judge said. Walmsley participated in Mr Hart's murder by hanging out the window of the ute to locate him, failing to stop and render aid, and telling her son "we got him good". The offenders had pleaded not guilty to murder, but were found guilty by a jury following a four-week Supreme Court trial. Justice Wright extended the court's sympathy to Mr Hart's family and friends, describing the teenager as a "loving son and grandson" with a "bright future". "His family feels as if their lives have been shattered," the judge said. "It's important to acknowledge that the death of Mr Hart was a personal and human tragedy." The judge factored Walmsley-Hume's difficult upbringing into his sentence, including him being introduced to cannabis at age 9, meth at 12, and heroin by his father at 13. He continued to use drugs until his arrest and had also been punished in custody for possessing illicit substances and weapons. The court accepted he had expressed remorse and attempted to seek assistance for his drug addiction. The judge took into account Walmsley's depressive disorder, epilepsy, and cannabis use disorder, with the court hearing she struggled with heavy drinking after the deaths of several family members. He could not accept she had shown any remorse. Walmsley-Hume will become eligible for release in April 2038, while his mother will become eligible the year prior. Mr Hart's family smiled and held hands as the sentence was handed down. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains the name and image of a person who has died. More than three years ago, the family of an 18-year-old Indigenous teenager made a Facebook group titled 'Justice for Taj Hart' after he was brutally murdered in broad daylight. On June 6, his relatives and friends wore t-shirts emblazoned with the same slogan as they packed out a Wollongong courtroom, where his killers Katie Walmlsey and her son Jayden Walmsley-Hume were sentenced to decades in jail. "I hope they rot in hell," Mr Hart's grandmother Glenda Hart said, relieved with the judge's sentence. Walmsley-Hume, 21, fidgeted throughout the hearing and received a jail-term of 23 years and six months, while Walmsley, 41, sat stone-faced and received a jail-term of 21 years and six months. Justice Robertson Wright described the murder as a "cowardly and cold-blooded attack" that "brutally cut short" Mr Hart's life. The court heard Mr Hart was walking along Old Southern Road in South Nowra to meet up with a friend on February 24, 2022, when Walmsley-Hume swerved his ute seven metres off the road to hit him. Walmsley, sitting in the passenger seat, was heard declaring to her son "we got him good" after the grill smashed Mr Hart's torso from behind, causing his body to bend over the bonnet. "They did not stop, they did not call an ambulance," Justice Wright said. A woman who was picking her daughter up at the nearby school rushed to Mr Hart's aid, pulling an identification card out of his bag so she could call him by his name in his final moments. Severely injured, Mr Hart was taken to Shoalhaven Hospital, but he could not be saved. Walmsley and Walmsley-Hume were arrested at a Sydney motel on April 7, 2022 after they fled the Shoalhaven. Justice Wright said there had been "growing animosity" between Mr Hart's friend group and Walmsley-Hume in the months leading up to the hit-and-run. There were a number of fights, one at a park and another at a PCYC, in which Walmsley-Hume "came off second best". In January 2022, Walmsley-Hume attempted to stab Mr Hart after he ambushed him at his grandmother's house. Walmsley-Hume was left with a broken elbow after Mr Hart hit him with a pole in self-defence. Walmsley-Hume said "you're dead" before he left the scene. The judge said this threat was of particular significance given the offender "saw an opportunity to act on the desire" to have Mr Hart gone the following month. Justice Wright said Walmsley had participated in some of the feuds involving her son. "Both mother and son were on the lookout for an opportunity to enact the revenge they wanted," the judge said. Walmsley participated in Mr Hart's murder by hanging out the window of the ute to locate him, failing to stop and render aid, and telling her son "we got him good". The offenders had pleaded not guilty to murder, but were found guilty by a jury following a four-week Supreme Court trial. Justice Wright extended the court's sympathy to Mr Hart's family and friends, describing the teenager as a "loving son and grandson" with a "bright future". "His family feels as if their lives have been shattered," the judge said. "It's important to acknowledge that the death of Mr Hart was a personal and human tragedy." The judge factored Walmsley-Hume's difficult upbringing into his sentence, including him being introduced to cannabis at age 9, meth at 12, and heroin by his father at 13. He continued to use drugs until his arrest and had also been punished in custody for possessing illicit substances and weapons. The court accepted he had expressed remorse and attempted to seek assistance for his drug addiction. The judge took into account Walmsley's depressive disorder, epilepsy, and cannabis use disorder, with the court hearing she struggled with heavy drinking after the deaths of several family members. He could not accept she had shown any remorse. Walmsley-Hume will become eligible for release in April 2038, while his mother will become eligible the year prior. Mr Hart's family smiled and held hands as the sentence was handed down. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains the name and image of a person who has died. More than three years ago, the family of an 18-year-old Indigenous teenager made a Facebook group titled 'Justice for Taj Hart' after he was brutally murdered in broad daylight. On June 6, his relatives and friends wore t-shirts emblazoned with the same slogan as they packed out a Wollongong courtroom, where his killers Katie Walmlsey and her son Jayden Walmsley-Hume were sentenced to decades in jail. "I hope they rot in hell," Mr Hart's grandmother Glenda Hart said, relieved with the judge's sentence. Walmsley-Hume, 21, fidgeted throughout the hearing and received a jail-term of 23 years and six months, while Walmsley, 41, sat stone-faced and received a jail-term of 21 years and six months. Justice Robertson Wright described the murder as a "cowardly and cold-blooded attack" that "brutally cut short" Mr Hart's life. The court heard Mr Hart was walking along Old Southern Road in South Nowra to meet up with a friend on February 24, 2022, when Walmsley-Hume swerved his ute seven metres off the road to hit him. Walmsley, sitting in the passenger seat, was heard declaring to her son "we got him good" after the grill smashed Mr Hart's torso from behind, causing his body to bend over the bonnet. "They did not stop, they did not call an ambulance," Justice Wright said. A woman who was picking her daughter up at the nearby school rushed to Mr Hart's aid, pulling an identification card out of his bag so she could call him by his name in his final moments. Severely injured, Mr Hart was taken to Shoalhaven Hospital, but he could not be saved. Walmsley and Walmsley-Hume were arrested at a Sydney motel on April 7, 2022 after they fled the Shoalhaven. Justice Wright said there had been "growing animosity" between Mr Hart's friend group and Walmsley-Hume in the months leading up to the hit-and-run. There were a number of fights, one at a park and another at a PCYC, in which Walmsley-Hume "came off second best". In January 2022, Walmsley-Hume attempted to stab Mr Hart after he ambushed him at his grandmother's house. Walmsley-Hume was left with a broken elbow after Mr Hart hit him with a pole in self-defence. Walmsley-Hume said "you're dead" before he left the scene. The judge said this threat was of particular significance given the offender "saw an opportunity to act on the desire" to have Mr Hart gone the following month. Justice Wright said Walmsley had participated in some of the feuds involving her son. "Both mother and son were on the lookout for an opportunity to enact the revenge they wanted," the judge said. Walmsley participated in Mr Hart's murder by hanging out the window of the ute to locate him, failing to stop and render aid, and telling her son "we got him good". The offenders had pleaded not guilty to murder, but were found guilty by a jury following a four-week Supreme Court trial. Justice Wright extended the court's sympathy to Mr Hart's family and friends, describing the teenager as a "loving son and grandson" with a "bright future". "His family feels as if their lives have been shattered," the judge said. "It's important to acknowledge that the death of Mr Hart was a personal and human tragedy." The judge factored Walmsley-Hume's difficult upbringing into his sentence, including him being introduced to cannabis at age 9, meth at 12, and heroin by his father at 13. He continued to use drugs until his arrest and had also been punished in custody for possessing illicit substances and weapons. The court accepted he had expressed remorse and attempted to seek assistance for his drug addiction. The judge took into account Walmsley's depressive disorder, epilepsy, and cannabis use disorder, with the court hearing she struggled with heavy drinking after the deaths of several family members. He could not accept she had shown any remorse. Walmsley-Hume will become eligible for release in April 2038, while his mother will become eligible the year prior. Mr Hart's family smiled and held hands as the sentence was handed down.
