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<\/p>\nFederal Member for Solomon Luke Gosling has been banned from coming within 50 metres of the Northern Territory’s Government House after facing court charged with assaulting NT Administrator David Connolly.<\/p>\n
Mr Gosling faced the Darwin Local Court for the first time today after NT Police yesterday charged him with two counts of assaulting the administrator \u2014 the territory’s equivalent of a state governor.<\/p>\n
In varying his bail, Judge Stephen Geary also ordered Mr Gosling to give Mr Connolly’s office 48 hours notice before attending any event where the two men would be present.<\/p>\n
If Mr Gosling and Mr Connolly do attend the same event, Mr Gosling will be required to stay 15 metres away from the administrator at all times.<\/p>\n
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David Connolly was sworn in as NT Administrator, a role equivalent to a state governor, in February. (ABC News: Dane Hirst)<\/p>\n
The incident allegedly occurred while Mr Gosling and Mr Connolly were both attending the NT Grand Thai Festival in Darwin on July 18.<\/p>\n
Mr Gosling has strenuously denied the claims, with his lawyer Marty Aust SC telling the media yesterday the charges would be contested.<\/p>\n
During today’s hearing, Judge Geary said the two charges related to two separate incidents which occurred 30 minutes apart.<\/p>\n
“The allegation is not an isolated incident,” he said.<\/p>\n
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Marty Aust told the court the prosecution case against his client was “incredibly weak”. \u00a0 (ABC News: Matilda Colling)<\/p>\n
In discussing the reported details of the alleged incidents, Mr Aust told the court the first incident had occurred “in a manner in which the administrator was unable to see the approach”.<\/p>\n
The court heard from Judge Geary that the second charge pertained to an alleged hip-and-shoulder collision between the two men, during which Mr Gosling allegedly drew back his left elbow, striking Mr Connolly in his upper rib.<\/p>\n
In his submissions in support of the bail variation, Mr Aust said the charges were based on “complaint evidence by the administrator, nothing else”.<\/p>\n
“If we’re going to look at the allegations in their simplest form, what we have here is an incredibly weak case,” he said.<\/p>\n
“Notwithstanding the numerous people who were there, the CCTV footage that was there, there is not one piece of corroboration with respect to the event, not a single independent witness.”<\/p>\n
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Luke Gosling says he was first contacted by police two days ago. (ABC News: Matilda Colling)<\/p>\n
Timeline disputed, PM in the loop<\/p>\n
Speaking outside court this afternoon, Mr Gosling laid out the timeline of his arrest and when NT Police first made contact with him.<\/p>\n
It comes after Mr Aust yesterday said there was a “real concern that there’s a degree of politicisation in relation to how this matter is being handled”, a claim which NT Police has denied.<\/p>\n
“The first I heard from the NT Police was a phone message whilst I was working in Queensland two days ago,” Mr Gosling told the media.<\/p>\n
“Look, I can understand why a lot of people are asking a lot of questions about how this rolled out and how this has been handled.<\/p>\n
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Federal Labor MP Luke Gosling gave a statement to the media outside of court. (ABC News: Matilda Colling)<\/p>\n
“But this is before the court, so I won’t be commenting.”<\/p>\n
An NT Police spokesperson earlier today said officers “made multiple attempts” to contact Mr Gosling in the days before his arrest.<\/p>\n
However, the federal Labor MP disputed that account.<\/p>\n
“So just in terms of making sure the timeline’s clear, the police didn’t make contact with me at all until two days ago when I was working over in Queensland and finished my commitments there and flew back, arriving back after midnight, which was about Thursday morning,” Mr Gosling said.<\/p>\n
“And then first thing Thursday morning, I was arrested.<\/p>\n