A journalist offered to write a sympathetic article defending Zachary Rolfe in the wake of the shooting of an Indigenous man, an inquest in Alice Springs has heard.
Journalist Kristin Shorten, who has written for several Australian publications, texted the former Northern Territory Police constable in November 2019, offering support.
The messages came two days after he fatally shot 19-year-old Warlpiri-Luritja man Kumanjayi Walker during an attempted arrest in the remote NT community of Yuendumu, during which he was stabbed with a small pair of scissors.
Rolfe was found not guilty in March 2022 of murder and manslaughter relating to Walker's death after a five-week trial.
After a protracted delay, in which Mr Rolfe was dismissed from the NT police force and appealed unsuccessfully to not have to give evidence, an inquest into the events surrounding Mr Walker's death is taking place, with Mr Rolfe the last witness.
During the hearing, various text messages have been shared to the court - including with Ms Shorten - who initially told Mr Rolfe to "ignore the leftist reporting in the media," before offering to write a piece defending him. The two knew each other as Ms Shorten has a partner serving in the NT police.
The text messages were read out in the court room
"Hey mate, heard the news. Hope you and your shoulder are OK. Ignore the leftist reporting in the media. Hopefully catch up soon," Ms Shorten wrote.
Rolfe replied that his shoulder was fine, and he didn't "pay attention to the losers anyway."
Ms Shorten wrote: "For sure. Hubby on his way down there today. So glad you're OK. Could've been much worse. I know what you did was totally warranted. If you ever want me to write an article in your defence, with or without naming you, say the word."
Mr Rolfe replied that he had "already thought about it" and if he wanted to give his side of the story he would "always go to you (Shorten)".
"Once this investigation is over we'll get to that," he wrote.
Ms Shorten responded: "PS if or when you want, I can write it without naming you or quoting you," to which Mr Rolfe replied that he was "down for that ha ha."
Mr Rolfe agreed with counsel assisting, Peggy Dwyer SC, that he knew Ms Shorten would be a sympathetic journalist when he was eventually interviewed by her on December 5, 2016, according to reporting by The Guardian.
In March 2022, at the completion of the trial, the story based on the interview was published in The Australian. Her biography on the page notes Ms Shorted "won a News Award and NT Media Award for her reporting on the fatal police shooting of Kumanjayi Walker at Yuendumu".
The Guardian reported on Wednesday she is believed to "no longer work" at the publication.
The context surrounding the court's reading of the text exchange between Mr Rolfe and Ms Shorten focussed on suggestions put to Mr Rolfe that he didn't inform his fellow officers in Yuendumu, nor a "friendly" journalist, nor record in his police notebook, that Mr Walker had touched his gun during the attempted arrest that ultimately led to him being shot three times.
Dr Dwyer put it to Mr Rolfe that he did this in order for his story to seem "more credible".
"I want to suggest to you, Mr Rolfe, that evidence you gave about Kumanjayi Walker's hand being on your gun was a lie," Dr Dwyer said, as reported by the ABC.
Mr Rolfe replied: "It's definitely not".
The inquest continues.
