A murder trial is underway in the Northern Territory Supreme Court where a 47-year-old man stands accused of killing his former partner in Katherine two years ago. The court is examining footage that allegedly shows the accused, Lindsay Kennedy, assaulting Colleen Bradshaw, who later died from a traumatic brain injury. Kennedy was charged with Bradshaw’s murder in November 2024, following her death at Royal Darwin Hospital on July 17, 2024, four months after the incident.

CCTV Footage Shows Violent Assault

During the trial, jurors were presented with surveillance video from two cameras located on Railway Terrace in Katherine’s town centre. The footage, recorded on July 11, 2024, six days before Bradshaw’s death, depicts Kennedy punching Bradshaw multiple times. The video then shows Kennedy walking away from Bradshaw, only to return and stomp on her head after she had fallen to the ground. In the recording, Kennedy can be heard telling the injured woman to “get the f*** out of my life” before leaving her lying on the footpath, audibly in pain.

Prosecution Alleges Murderous Intent

Crown prosecutor Deborah Mandie argued in her closing address that the actions captured on CCTV demonstrated Kennedy’s intent to kill. She highlighted that Kennedy ran directly towards Bradshaw with his fist raised, unprovoked, before delivering punches and then stomping and kicking her head. “This is not an impulsive, isolated action,” Mandie told the jury, suggesting the assault was indicative of murderous intent rather than a spontaneous act.

Defence Contests Murder Charge

Conversely, defence barrister David Hallowes SC urged the jury to consider that while Kennedy’s actions were violent, they did not necessarily establish an intent to kill. Hallowes suggested that the jury could describe his client’s behaviour with any adjective they deemed appropriate but argued that the assault, even if it led to Bradshaw’s death, did not prove murder. “She’s not dying at that time, you’d think if that’s what he wanted — her to die — he would keep on going until he achieved that,” Hallowes stated, implying that the assault ceased before death occurred.

Hallowes proposed that a verdict of guilty for committing a violent act causing death would be more fitting than murder. He also conceded that a finding of negligent manslaughter might be supported by the evidence. The defence barrister indicated that the most appropriate finding would be for a charge of committing a violent act causing death, while also accepting that negligent manslaughter might be proven.

Victim’s Medical Deterioration and Death

The court heard that in the days following the assault, both Colleen Bradshaw and her sister made four calls to emergency services. Bradshaw was heard on the first emergency call stating, “I’m injured” and “I need to press charges.” Police visited her the following morning, but she did not seek immediate hospital treatment, despite her sister’s advice. Her sister made two more emergency calls that afternoon.

It was only after a fourth emergency call on July 12, when Bradshaw reported feeling “heavy in my head” and that “it’s killing me,” that an ambulance was dispatched to take her to Katherine District Hospital. Despite initial assessments showing “unremarkable” vital signs, the focus shifted to an infected wound on Bradshaw’s wrist, which had become a concern. She was admitted overnight before being transported by bus to Royal Darwin Hospital on July 13. There, she was treated with antibiotics for the infected wound.

The following day, police attempted to take a statement from Bradshaw, but she was too unwell. By the early morning of July 15, after days of experiencing dizziness, blurred vision, and vomiting, Bradshaw was assessed for “urgent cardiology concerns.” Later that afternoon, she underwent a CT scan and was moved to the hospital’s intensive care unit. On July 16, her family was informed that her condition was critical, and she was declared deceased the next day, July 17, 2024.

Forensic Findings on Cause of Death

Forensic pathologist Salona Roopan, who conducted the autopsy, testified that the cause of death was “blunt force head trauma and consequences thereof.” Roopan explained that the blunt force trauma, sustained approximately seven to fourteen days before her death, initiated a slow bleed within her skull. “Because it’s a closed space, the pressure rises because there’s more blood than there should be,” Roopan stated. “And now there’s nowhere for that blood to go, so it starts pushing the brain in order to make space for itself to accumulate.” By the time of her death, the internal bleeding had caused the brain to be displaced by nearly a centimetre.

Jury Deliberations Expected

Justice Peter Barr is expected to provide his final instructions to the jury on Monday, after which they will commence their deliberations to reach a verdict.