Do Police Have to Pull You Over for Speeding in NSW?
Being caught speeding in NSW can be costly, and if it happens multiple times it can impact your ability to drive in the future through loss of points and suspension of your licence. Speeding fines can come in the mail...
What Does the Law Say About Air Rage and In-Air Offences?
Air rage is a modern day term that is used to describe angry and unruly behaviour by passengers on commercial flights. Over the last few years, we have seen a number of incidents of air rage and other criminal offences...
Fact or Fiction? Errors, Evidence and the Neill-Fraser Case
In Neill-Fraser v Tasmania [2012] TASCCA 2, the island state’s Court of Criminal Appeal expressed its certainty that, while Susan Neill-Fraser’s sentence might be altered, an appeal against conviction would certainly not succeed. The Court was at pains to remind us...
Taking Science to Court – The Case of DNA Evidence
The recent matter of Fitzgerald v The Queen highlights the ongoing refusal of the High Court to pay unearned deference to the supposed ‘gods’ of science. Fitzgerald emphasises that DNA evidence and forensic expertise (and indeed any lofty statements from...
Should I Write an Apology Letter to the Court or the Victim if I’m Pleading Guilty?
If you don’t have a lawyer, an apology letter to the judge or magistrate is a great place to start as you may be nervous and a letter allows you time to think about exactly what you want to say...
What Happens if I make a False Statement to Police or in Court?
The reasons for making a false statement to police or in-court are varied: a person may be trying to protect themselves or someone else, or they may be attempting to seek ‘victim’s compensation’, or they may even be trying to...
Do we have Adequate Safeguards against False Imprisonment in NSW?
Back in 2009, one lawyer managed to score a satisfying victory in court after police officers falsely arrested her. 57-year-old Andrea Turner was on a train and on her way to a bush walk. A police officer doing a routine...
What are the Penalties of Using a Fake ID?
The Rise of Fake ID Usage The use of fake IDs is becoming an increasingly significant issue, fueled by advancements in technology. Underground markets now produce highly realistic counterfeit IDs and selling them for as little as $60. New findings...
Is crime on the increase? King hit laws and other recent crime trends
How much do you know about state-wide crime? Do you know what the most common type of theft was in the last financial year? Or how many murders occurred last year? Or how many people breached their bail conditions last...
Driverless Cars – the Next Legal Frontier?
Let’s take a drive into the future. It might sound like an episode of the Jetsons, but at some stage in the not-too-distant-future we are bound to find ourselves zooming about in driverless cars…. Right? We humans tend to love...
