- WARNING: This story contains an image of a deceased indigenous person.
- Lead investigator fired in Outback shooting probe
- Wayne Newell accused of sending explicit images from a fake dating profile
EXCLUSIVE
The lead detective who pursued former Outback cop Zach Rolfe for murder has been fired for allegedly impersonating a female colleague and exchanging fake nude photos pretending to be her on a dating app.
Daily Mail Australia can reveal former Detective Senior Sergeant Wayne Newell was summarily dismissed from the Northern Territory Police Force on Friday afternoon.
Newell’s dismissal comes after an intensive investigation lasting several weeks following allegations of serious professional misconduct by the former senior police officer.
Northern Territory Police declined to comment directly on Mr Newell’s dismissal, citing concerns over “the privacy and confidentiality of all individuals involved”.
However, the force confirmed that a senior detective had been sacked following an internal investigation into allegations of serious misconduct.
“A 52-year-old police officer has been dismissed from the Northern Territory Police following serious breaches of discipline under the Police Administration Act 1978,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
‘An internal investigation was immediately launched after the allegations were made, leading to the officer’s termination (Friday) afternoon.’
Former Detective Senior Sergeant Wayne Newell has been dismissed from the Northern Territory Police Force following an internal investigation into allegations of inappropriate conduct.
Mr Newell led the investigation into the murder of decorated former Northern Territory Constable Zach Rolfe, who retained the full support of his parents Debbie and Richard until his acquittal.
The investigation was related to allegations that Newell had created a fake dating profile under the name of a junior police colleague and used it to interact with potential suitors.
Police are understood to allege Mr Newell was exchanging sexually explicit images with an unnamed male victim during some of the online interactions.
Sources said the officer reported the fake profile to Mr Newell after a man arrived at Northern Territory Police headquarters with flowers for her, claiming they had been exchanging romantic messages through the app.
It is understood she sought advice from Mr Newell on how to best handle the matter as he was a trusted and senior colleague, and the head of the NT’s Special References Unit, which investigates such crimes.
She also confided that the fake profile had been requesting and exchanging sexually explicit images with the male victim.
Newell was suspended from his job with pay during a lengthy internal investigation before being ultimately fired. However, no charges have yet been filed against him.
The former detective played a central role in the criminal investigation and failed prosecution of former NT officer Zach Rolfe for murder following a fatal shooting in the heart of Australia’s outback five years ago.
Mr Rolfe was found not guilty of murdering Kumanjayi Walker during an arrest in the outback.
Police body camera captured the moment Rolfe fatally shot the 19-year-old in 2019
Mr Rolfe shot dead Kumanjayi Walker after firing his service Glock semi-automatic pistol three times during an arrest in the remote community of Yuendumu, about three hours north-west of Alice Springs on 9 November 2019.
He was controversially charged with the 19-year-old’s murder just four days later, before being sensationally acquitted in 2022.
Mr Rolfe’s lawyers lodged a complaint about Mr Newell’s conduct during the investigation into Mr Walker’s death – codenamed Operation Charwell – with Acting NT Police Commissioner Michael Murphy last June.
In the complaint, they accused Mr. Newell of tampering with evidence from a critical independent criminologist and allegedly withholding crucial information from the defense team.
Mr Murphy subsequently referred the matter to Victoria Police for an independent review last September, saying they took “any complaints very seriously”.
While it is understood that the investigation has already been completed, the results will not be made public until Coroner Elisabeth Armitage’s inquest into Mr Walker’s death has concluded.
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