Man charged after fatal hit-and-run on Darwin’s Bagot Road

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this story mentions a person who has died.

A 61‑year‑old Darwin man has been charged over the hit‑and‑run death of a 27‑year‑old Aboriginal woman on one of the city’s busiest roads.

Northern Territory Police say the woman was hit by a vehicle about 1.20am on Saturday 27 December on the inbound lanes of Bagot Road near the intersection with Nemarluk Drive at Ludmilla. She was found by a passerby and died before paramedics arrived.

Police immediately treated the incident as a hit‑and‑run, alleging the driver failed to stop at the scene, give help, or report the crash. A crime scene was set up and Bagot Road was closed for several hours while crash investigators examined the area and collected evidence.

Officers from the Major Crash Investigation Unit reviewed CCTV, examined the scene, carried out forensic testing and spoke with witnesses and other motorists over the following week. Seven days after the crash, police arrested a 61‑year‑old man and charged him with one count of hit‑run causing death.

Senior Constable Craig Tregea said people involved in a crash are “legally required to stop, render assistance where possible, and notify police”. He said failing to do so can lead to serious legal consequences, especially when someone is injured or killed.

The stretch of Bagot Road where the woman died was in darkness after a light pole was knocked out in an earlier accident and had not been repaired.

On Monday, Thai‑Australian man Pairat Junsomran appeared in Darwin Local Court, where a judge granted him bail. The court heard he has lived in Darwin for decades and has a family home in the northern suburbs.

Mr Junsomran was allowed to go ahead with a pre‑booked month‑long trip to Thailand, on conditions that he surrender his passport when he returns on 7 February and remain in the Northern Territory after that date. Prosecutors did not oppose bail or his overseas travel, noting his long‑term ties to the Darwin community and saying they did not consider him a flight risk.

The case has been adjourned to 4 March for further mention. The charge of hit-and-run causing death carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison under Northern Territory law.

Police say the 2025 Northern Territory road toll now stands at 38 deaths. Bagot Road has recorded several pedestrian fatalities in recent years, including three deaths in 2023 alone.