NT attorney-general under pressure after fatal hit-and-run case sparks outrage
Warning: this content is distressing and contains the names of Aboriginal people who have passed away.
The Northern Territory government is under mounting scrutiny after it was revealed Attorney-General Marie-Clare Boothby is related to a man sentenced for a fatal hit-and-run, with First Nations leaders and advocates saying the case highlights deep inequities and systemic racism within the justice system.
In September, 24-year-old Jake Danby was sentenced to a 12-month community corrections order after fatally striking an Aboriginal man and seriously injuring another in 2024, before fleeing the scene.
Despite pleading guilty, he avoided jail time. The case has fuelled outrage after text messages shown in court revealed Danby mocking the victims, calling them racist slurs and boasting about the crash as a “two for one combo”.
NT prosecutors have lodged an appeal, calling the sentence “manifestly inadequate”.
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