The mandatory requirements of Part V of the Justices Act (NT) for committal proceedings cannot be circumvented by an ad hoc procedure of reading a precis of facts and obtaining the defendant's admissions, even where the defendant is legally represented and consents to the procedure. A purported committal conducted in this manner is a nullity. Where there has in substance been no committal proceeding at all, a Basha enquiry will not adequately remedy the deficiency, and the indictment will be stayed until fresh committal proceedings are conducted.
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