Channel Nine Ordered to Pay Millions for Defaming Family
A court has ordered Nine Network Australia and journalist Nicholas Cater to pay four members of a Toowoomba family a total of more than $3 million for falsely reporting that they were responsible for floods that led to the destruction...
NSW Police Can Criminally Prosecute Citizens Without Providing Evidence
It is a fundamental principle of our criminal justice system that accused persons are informed of the evidence against them and have the opportunity to investigate the veracity of that material before their cases reach contested hearings or jury trials....
How Can I Get a Pro Bono Lawyer in New South Wales?
The Law Council of Australia warned in July that legal aid funding is at “breaking point”, following a high-profile murder trial in NSW having to be postponed because of the deplorably low pay rates that simply weren’t attracting barristers that...
The Law and Penalties for Leaving Children Unattended in Vehicles
A woman has been charged with murder after her one and two-year old daughters were found dead in a car, allegedly as a result of being exposed to extreme heat. It has been reported that police and paramedics responded to...
Man Bashes Heavily Pregnant Muslim Woman
Many of us have now seen the horrific footage of a Sydney man assaulting a heavily pregnant woman in a Parramatta café. The man, Stipe Lozina, allegedly punched Ms Rana Elasmar repeatedly in an unprovoked attack - then stomped on...
Sexual Assault Investigation into Julian Assange Dropped
Swedish prosecutors have formally dropped their investigation into an allegation that Julian Assange sexually assaulted a woman in Stockholm ten years ago, conceding the evidence is too weak to support a prosecution. The allegations In 2010, Swedish prosecutors issued an...
The Offence of Refusing to Leave a Licensed Premises in NSW
The ‘rule of law’ dictates that everyone should be treated equally under the law, regardless of who they are, who they know and what position they hold. A senior police officer learnt this the hard way when, some time ago,...
22-Year Old Woman Strip Searched In Front of Shop Window
Twenty-two year old Teleaha Bower was with her partner last month, when she was approached by two undercover male police officers outside a pawn shop in St Mary’s and told she would be strip searched. She says the officers claimed...
What is a Marketable and Commercial Quantity of Drugs for Commonwealth Offences?
The Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth) contains a range of offences relating to border controlled drugs, including drug importation / exportation, possessing unlawfully imported drugs and drug trafficking. The maximum penalties that apply to these offences will depend on the...
NSW Police Watchdog: No Teeth and Underfunded
The NSW Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (or LECC) is already considered to be a largely ineffective police watchdog, without sufficient funds or human resources to investigate complaints. The body has no power to discipline officers, and can only recommend that...
