Northern Territory Police Officer on Trial for Alleged Attempt to Pervert Course of Justice

A Northern Territory police officer is standing trial in the Supreme Court accused of attempting to pervert the course of justice by allegedly pressuring his former partner to drop aggravated assault charges. Karol Jarentowski pleaded not guilty on Monday.

Officials said the charges stem from an August 2024 incident in which he threw two T-shirts at his former partner during an argument at one of their children's tennis games.

Officials told the jury that across the following two months, the officer repeatedly messaged his former partner urging her to withdraw the complaint. They said one message warned that a guilty finding would leave her without child support. The court heard the messages continued during a FaceTime call while she was traveling interstate with the children.

Officials said the woman repeatedly told the officer she did not want to discuss the matter.

The defence stated that the officer had no intention of interfering with criminal proceedings. It argued that any statements made were simply objective facts and did not amount to improper pressure. The trial continues on Tuesday.