A woman accused of hitting the Northern Territory chief minister in the face with a cream-covered crepe has faced court for the first time since the alleged incident last month.
Key points:
- Suzanne Milgate is charged with aggravated assault and using a carriage service to harass
- She is accused of hitting Chief Minister Natasha Fyles in the face with a crepe at the Nightcliff Markets last month
- Ms Milgate was surrounded by supporters in court, some of whom brought her flowers
Suzanne Lee Milgate, 56, appeared in the Darwin Local Court on Tuesday charged with aggravated assault and using a carriage service to harass.
She is accused of attacking Ms Fyles at the Nightcliff Markets, in the chief minister’s electorate, after she was filmed allegedly hitting her in the face with a crepe, covered in cream.
Her first court appearance was brief and administrative, with the judge granting an adjournment and listing her matter for a directions hearing on November 20.
Ms Milgate was not required to enter a plea.
Outside of court, Ms Milgate was surrounded by supporters, some of whom brought flowers for her.
Asked by reporters, outside court, if she had anything to say to Ms Fyles, Ms Milgate said she had been “trying to talk to her for three and half years and still haven’t heard from her”.
“We tried to send her an apology, unequivocal apology letters, she wouldn’t accept it,” Ms Milgate said.
The Palmerston woman told media she felt “fine” about being before the courts as she had “nothing to hide”.
Security concerns raised
Following the alleged incident last month, Ms Milgate was banned from entering all Northern Territory electorate offices and staff were urged, in an email seen by the ABC, to “maintain an appreciated awareness of the current threat environment”.
Ms Milgate has previously publicly claimed she believed Ms Fyles had failed to listen to her concerns over crime rates in the Northern Territory and the government’s COVID-19 vaccine policy.
“It’s a slight error,” she told the ABC on September 25, a day after the alleged assault.
“A cream pie is not an assault.”
Several fundraising efforts in Ms Milgate’s name have been created online since the alleged incident, seeking donations to support her legal costs.
Ms Milgate remains on bail and will return to court in November.
