A man accused of the shooting murder of a veteran police officer at a rural property has had his matter shifted to a different court.
Tasmania Police Constable Keith Smith, 57, was killed in the state’s north-west on June 16 while he and another officer were delivering a court-ordered repossession notice.
Leigh Geoffrey Sushames was charged three days later with murder, attempted murder and aggravated assault.
He is yet to enter a plea to the charges and today appeared briefly in Launceston Magistrates Court via video link from custody.
The case was shifted to Devonport Magistrates Court, with Sushames to next appear on October 1.
No reasons were aired in court for the change in location.
Smith’s death was the first fatal shooting of an officer in Tasmania in more than a century.
He was farewelled with full ceremonial police honours and a street procession in late June and remembered as his family’s protector and a dedicated community-focused officer.
“Keith was almost a living definition of what it means to be kind, caring and gentle,” Inspector Andrew Hanson said.
Smith’s wife, Janaha, told the service he was the “place we called home”.
Smith received several honours, including the commissioner’s medal in 2011 and the national police service medal in 2016.
