NT government promises urgent bail reform after fatal stabbing of Darwin shop owner

Australia Broadcast Center

24-04-2025

The NT government has promised to urgently pass new bail laws to bring the territory in-line with Victoria and NSW in the wake of a fatal stabbing of a local Darwin grocer.
Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said parliament would urgently reconvene on Wednesday to act on the law changes, saying she wanted the Northern Territory to have "the toughest bail laws in the country".
It comes after 71-year-old Linford Feick was stabbed to death at his Darwin supermarket on Wednesday afternoon after confronting a man allegedly shoplifting.
Linford Feick, the owner of the Friendly Grocer in Nightcliff, was fatally stabbed after confronting a man allegedly stealing from the shop.
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ABC News: Laetitia Lemke
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An 18-year-old arrested in relation to Mr Feick's death had been released on bail in the NT Supreme Court "for serious matters" just last week.
Outlining the bail reform, Attorney-General Marie-Clare Boothby said the government would introduce an overarching legal principle that would require judges be satisfied an offender was not going to pose a risk to the community if granted bail.
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An older man stands in front of rows of wine in a store.
Police say a teenager arrested after the fatal stabbing of Linford Feick, the owner of a Friendly Grocer in Darwin, was bailed last week just days before he turned 18.
"That overarching principle must be addressed and considered before any other types of presumption for or against bail is considered," she said.
Ms Finocchiaro said the proposed changes would mean there would "be less people bailed".
"What we want for the Northern Territory is to have the toughest bail laws in the country,"
she said.
Police on the scene of a fatal stabbing at a Nightcliff supermarket on Wednesday afternoon.
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ABC News: Sam Parry
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Ms Finocchiaro said the government intended to introduce and pass the bail changes into law when parliament sits next week.
"I think Territorians will agree that this is very urgent and important work that must be done," she said.
Faced with questions about whether the reforms would actually lead to a reduction in crime, and whether bail decisions would ultimately still be at the discretion of a judge, the chief minister said she was "confident it could really set a strong benchmark for community safety".
She referred to the recent case of a teen who, charged over a violent home invasion in Alice Springs, was granted
The controversial decision involved a $7,000 taxpayer bill for the Department of Children and Families to take him to Lajamanu.
When he fled shortly after the funeral, specialist police were flown into the remote community to find the teen.
The NT government has promised new laws that would require judges give greater consideration to community safety.
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ABC News: Pete Garnish
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"What we're really trying to do is make sure our laws meet that community expectation and, while judges do require a level of discretion, that our laws are as tight as possible," the chief minister said.
"It means judges must consider the safety of the community if they're going to bail that person before they go on and consider all those other bail factors."
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Lajamanu, 800kms north of Alice Springs
A 17-year-old charged over a home invasion in Alice Springs that left a baby with a fractured skull, fled after being flown to the remote community of Lajamanu for a funeral.
Corrections Minister Gerard Maley acknowledged the reform could add further pressure to remand, and to corrections officers.
He said he had consulted with the infrastructure department to try and add 100 more beds to corrections centres across the Northern Territory.
"Keeping the community safe is our priority and we intend to make sure that if you commit a crime in the Northern Territory, there will be a bed for you in our corrections system," he said.