The two people Sly says should ‘consider their positions’ after Kumanjayi Walker case

John ‘Sly’ Silvester says if Constable Zachary Rolfe had been charged with the murder of indigenous 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker it would have been “the biggest miscarriage of justice in the Northern Territory since Lindy Chamberlain was charged”, and the Northern Territory police commissioner and director of public prosecutions should “consider their positions due to the handling of the case.

Mr Walker died after being shot three times by Constable Rolfe in the remote community of Yuendumu in 2019.

It came after Mr Walker attacked Constable Rolfe with a pair of medical scissors.

Mr Rolfe was charged four days later, and last week was found not guilty of murder and two alternative charges in relation to Mr Walker’s death.

Sly says he was charged “offensively quickly”.

“It’s my view that both the commissioner and the director of public prosecutions should consider their position because actual investigators were not ready to charge and were told to,” Sly said.

“The reason he was charged is simple – and that’s to stop a riot.

“That’s a practical reason but you have to go to court with a case that you think it is more likely or not there will be a successful prosecution.

“If anyone considers that shooting a man who has stabbed you in self defence could ever justify the charge of murder you’re kidding yourself. As a consequence he was acquitted.

“The indigenous community in Australia has been treated very, very poorly by the justice system. The number of indigenous people incarcerated is way too high. Zach Rolfe was not the problem.”

Press PLAY below to hear Sly’s thoughts on the case in full

Image (inset): 9News