Articles by Amanda McLeod

Amanda McLeod Amanda McLeod is a Lawyer, Journalist and member of the content team at Sydney Criminal Lawyers®, Sydney's Best Criminal and Traffic Defence Lawyers.

Black male in custody

Death in Custody: A “White, Middle Class Person” Would Have Been Treated Differently

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A former police officer who was shift supervisor at the time 22-year-old woman Ms Dhu died in police custody has given his evidence to the WA Coroner during the inquest into her death, admitting he thought the dying woman was affected by drugs. Ms Dhu died in August 2014 at South Hedland police station, where …
Roofie poster

Woman Raises Funds to Investigate Own Rape

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Only two weeks ago, 25 year old South Australian primary school teacher Airdre Mattner created a crowdfunding campaign, relying on the kindness of strangers to help investigate her claim that she was drugged and raped while holidaying in Korea last year. She has already received over $12,000 in donations. As well as money to help …
Sex doll icon

Childlike Sex Dolls: Safe Outlet or Encouragement for Paedophiles?

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Earlier this year, Shin Takagi opened up to The Atlantic about the struggles he has endured living as a paedophile who has never acted on his attraction to children. He uses his Japanese company Trottla to sell lifelike child sex dolls to other paedophiles in an effort to help them curb their impulses. Mr Takagi …
Badger

Barrister’s Bizarre Life as a Badger

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The high levels of stress amongst the legal profession are well documented. Could the pressures of the courtroom have sent Charles Foster round the bend? Foster is a British barrister who feels so deeply about the natural world he has spent most of his life living as an animal. He’s written a strangely fascinating book …
Sad lady in a gloomy blue room

Violence Against Women a “National Disgrace”

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It was less than six months ago that Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull conceded violence against women is a “national disgrace”. Announcing $100 million in federal funding to help address the problem, he called for a “cultural shift” in men’s attitudes towards women, blaming gender inequality for the intolerably high number of women dying from violence …
Iron man

Iron Boy Saves Sydney!

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Evil forces have been causing havoc in Sydney – but they have met their match with the NSW Police Force’s new secret weapon. At around 9am on Thursday morning, nine-year-old Domenic Pace received a call from senior police requesting his urgent assistance to help rescue Make-A-Wish Foundation’s reporter, Hope Joy. When asked by Assistant Commissioner …
Male fist

Australians Sick of ‘Coward Punch’ Attacks

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By January 2014, Australians were sick and tired of young people’s lives being destroyed by mindless violence during nights of heavy drinking. Devastating one punch attacks, which were then referred to as “king hits”, were causing increasing concern. At that time, 18-year-old Daniel Christie (above) was in a critical condition after being attacked by a …
Aboriginal flag

The Evolving Legal Status of Aboriginals in Australia

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High Court Justices Deane and Gaudron famously acknowledged how the law allowed extreme prejudice suffered by Indigenous Australians in Mabo v Queensland: “The official endorsement, by administrative practice and in judgment of the courts, of those two propositions [of terra nulls and land ownership by the Crown] provided the environment in which the Aboriginal people …
Tinder

The Scary Trend in Online Dating

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Tinder, the world’s most popular mobile dating app amongst young people right now, describes itself like this: “The people we meet change our lives. A friend, a date, a romance, or even a chance encounter can change someone’s life forever. Tinder empowers users around the world to create new connections that otherwise might never have …