Murder accused NT cop case back in court

The legal team defending a Northern Territory constable accused of murdering an Indigenous man during an arrest won't get full access to secret police reports into the death.

Zachary Rolfe, 29, allegedly murdered Kumanjayi Walker, who was shot three times in the remote community of Yuendumu in November 2019, as officers tried to arrest the 19-year-old.

The prosecution brief against Rolfe partly relies on seven reports that contain information about the shooting, his service and training, and an opinion on two expert reports.

They were prepared by a highly respected senior NT police officer Scott Pollock and detailed why the expert opinions were "misconceived, ill-informed and wrong", defence lawyer David Edwardson QC has previously said.

Mr Edwardson has previously accused NT Police Force and Commissioner Jamie Chalker and Assistant Commissioner Nick Anticich of "burying" the reports and denying they exist because they are inconsistent with the case police wanted to present against his client.

Mr Chalker's lawyer, Mary Chalmers, denied the allegations, saying assertions her client attempted to block the release of the reports were wrong.

The reports have been the subject of much pre-trial debate in the NT Supreme Court in Darwin, with Mr Edwardson saying he should have been made aware of the reports' existence much earlier.

His attempts to gain access to them were initially rebuffed after Mr Chalker allegedly resisted handing them over on the basis the defence would not be able to demonstrate a legitimate forensic purpose.

Redacted versions of the reports were ultimately handed to Mr Edmondson after a subpoena was issued.

The parties then argued over the extent of the redaction, which has been made on the basis of legal professional privilege.

Acting Justice Dean Mildren on Friday handed down his judgment on the report's contents, saying only some of the redacted material would be made available to Rolfe's defence.

Rolfe's trial is expected to start in July and run for four weeks in Darwin, about 1500 kilometres from Yuendumu, which has a population of about 800 people.