Category: Assault Charges

By Sonia Hickey and Ugur Nedim In the wake of a spate of violent attacks on paramedics and emergency service workers, the Health Services Union (HSU) is calling for frontline staff to be fitted with body cameras in an attempt to deter would-be offenders and capture incidents as they occur. Latest incident Paramedics were called ...

By Zeb Holmes and Ugur Nedim The recent ‘king-hit’ by West Coast midfielder Andrew Gaff has triggered debate about whether on the field violence that is outside the rules of the game should result in charges for assault. Mr Gaff broke the jaw of Fremantle player Andrew Brayshaw in an unprovoked attack away from play. ...

By Sonia Hickey and Ugur Nedim Many believe the culture of misconduct in the Queensland Police Force (QPS) is worse than ever before, even poorer than prior to the state’s 1987 Fitzgerald Inquiry into police corruption. Despite recommendations for better accountability mechanisms, police in Queensland – and indeed across Australia – have largely been left ...

By Sonia Hickey and Ugur Nedim New South Wales taxpayers will once again foot the bill after an officer unlawfully and brutally arrested a 17-year old outside a bakery at Glenbrook in the Blue Mountains. A District Court judge has ordered the government to pay the now 21-year old man $124,000 in compensation, after finding ...

By Sonia Hickey and Ugur Nedim The Byron Bay police officer who struck a naked teenager 18 times with his baton during a violent arrest could lose his job and potentially face assault charges over the incident. In his closing submission at the second of two hearings by the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (LECC) into ...

By Paul Gregoire and Ugur Nedim Currently, self-represented litigants in the Family Court are permitted to cross-examine opponents, even in circumstances where there has been an allegation of domestic violence. However, the Turnbull government has drafted laws aimed at stopping this. Australian attorney general Christian Porter introduced the Family Law Amendment (Family Violence and Cross-examination of ...

By Sonia Hickey and Ugur Nedim The Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (LECC) has called for a second public hearing into the brutal arrest of a naked sixteen year old boy in the Northern New South Wales town of Byron Bay. The Commission is investigating the use of excessive force during the arrest, which occurred in ...

By Sonia Hickey and Ugur Nedim The Western Australian Corruption and Crime Commission (CCC) has released graphic footage of inmates being beaten and pepper sprayed by guards in the state’s prisons. The footage, taken in 2016 and 2017, has been released as part of investigations into the mistreatment of inmates at the hands of prison ...

The word ‘assault’ often conjures up images of a physical altercation between two or more people. And whilst pushing or striking another person without legal justification will amount to an assault, the offence of common assault in NSW does not necessarily require any physical contact at all. Where is the offence of common assault contained ...

By Sonia Hickey and Ugur Nedim A senior police officer has been stood down after running down an 18-year old with a police car on a suburban street. The incident occurred in Thornleigh in Western Australia and there is currently an internal investigation underway into the officer’s actions, but footage taken by a passer-by clearly ...