A DAY IN COURT

BY ROBYN MARAIS

Callover hearings in the Supreme Court were delayed by technical issues yesterday by around half an hour as court officers tried to link to three different correctional facilities in the matter of the alleged murder of Jukari C Turvey. 

During the hearing, neither the Judge nor the Prosecution were easy to hear, because the sounds most audible to the public gallery were static from the video link connection through speakers directly above the gallery seats.  Also, while the Magistrate’s bench appeared to be fitted with microphones, they were either not positioned well or were turned off.  And it didn’t help that the Magistrate held her hand to the lower part of her face while speaking at times. 

Indigenous Affairs Correspondent and WA Bureau Chief at The Australian, Paige Taylor, expressed frustration about the difficulties of reporting in such conditions.  Ms Taylor told Ngaarda Media, “The acoustics in those court rooms are very bad.  Soft talkers are not a reporter’s friend in there.” 

Later, the woman accused of the manslaughter of a driver in Baldivis earlier this month made a covert exit to avoid the deceased woman’s family members waiting outside near courtroom 6.   

The family of 21-year-old Abbey Sheriff, killed earlier this month in a high-speed crash, pursued the defendant Evie Lyn Butterworth at the front of the court buildings along with news gatherers as soon as they heard the Court had assisted Butterworth to depart without being noticed. 

Julie Sheriff, mother of Abbey Sheriff, said it was difficult to participate in court proceedings but she was glad to have been able to see the face of Evie Butterworth. 

Julie Sheriff told Ngaarda Media the accused was a coward and she suspected the Court had provided assistance for Butterworth to avoid the family who had chanted “What do we want? Justice for Abbey. When do we want it? Now,” as Butterworth had entered court 6. 

“It's like they’re protecting her, when she’s in the wrong. They should be doing anything and everything for us, we’re the victims, my whole family”. 

The Department of Justice told 7 News “decisions about how people moved around court are made each day on a case by case basis to ensure the good order, management and security of the Courts”. 

Butterworth had been in Court applying for changes to her bail conditions but the application was not granted.