Arabic version: اتهام رجل بقتل فتاة مراهقة في منطقة نائية بالإقليم الشمالي

According to ABC News, Ashton Chungaloo, 26, has been charged with murder over the death of a 16-year-old girl in the remote Northern Territory community of Alpurrurulam. He faced Darwin Local Court after being held in police custody since the alleged incident on Monday.

Police said Mr Chungaloo was believed to have been in a domestic relationship with the girl. A local clinic reported at about 5:30am on Monday that a girl had died there, according to NT Police.

Mr Chungaloo did not appear in court and his lawyers did not apply for bail. His defence lawyer proposed moving the matter to Alice Springs, a move agreed to by Justice Stephen Ledek. Mr Chungaloo is due to return to court in Alice Springs on December 10.

Northern Territory Police responded to the incident with assistance from Queensland officers. Crime Command and Forensics officers also travelled to Alpurrurulam to investigate the death.

Alpurrurulam is near the Queensland-Northern Territory border, about 1,500 kilometres south-east of Darwin and less than 20 kilometres from Queensland. The community has not had a permanent police station since 2018, with the nearest officers stationed 170 kilometres away at Avon Downs.