The Muldrock Error is a Winner for Some
Two convicted killers have recently had their sentences cut on appeal, using the so-called Muldrock error as grounds. Both Yusuf Aytugrul and William Matheson claimed Muldrock error, and were successful in getting time off their non-parole periods and maximum sentences....
Should Child Killers Lose All Parental Rights?
NSW opposition leader Luke Foley says that parents who kill their children should lose all parental rights, including their right to parent children in the future. He recently announced in the Sunday Telegraph that Labor will propose a new law...
Police Mishandling of the Bowraville Murders
Over a period of five months between 1990 and 1991, three Aboriginal children disappeared from the same street in a housing mission near the NSW town of Bowraville. The bodies of 16-year-old Clinton Speedy Duroux and four-year-old Evelyn Greenup were...
Australia’s Worst Serial Killers: Who is the Most Evil?
Former New South Wales Greens MP Jeremy Buckingham told the media in October 2024 that the ‘worst’ serial killer in Australia’s history could be the person responsible for several of the 67 missing or murdered women in New South Wales...
The Dangers of Joyriding
The offence of larceny, or theft, requires an element of intention to permanently deprive the owner of the item. So is it still stealing if you were just borrowing the item? ‘Joyriding’ is where a car is taken and driven...
The ‘Gay Panic Defence’
Have you ever heard of the ‘homosexual advance defence’ or ‘gay panic defence’? How would you respond if you are a straight person and someone of the same gender made sexual advances towards you? There is obviously a difference between...
The Boston Bomber Death Penalty: Justice?
On 15 April 2013, a terrorist act took place that would alter the images that come to mind when we hear of the Boston Marathon. Three people were killed and hundreds were injured when two pressure-cooker bombs used exploded near...
Can Necessity Be a Defence to Murder?
Australian law recognises the value of dignity and respect for human life. This means that there are only limited circumstances where killing another person is excusable. Self-defence is probably the most well-known defence, but what about necessity? Can it ever...
Are We Doing Enough to Protect Children from Abuse?
Are we doing enough to protect children from abuse? This question has recently arisen with the case of Bill Spedding, a washing machine repairman who police have named as a person of interest in the disappearance of toddler William Tyrell...
Do Bouncers Need Better Training?
An inquest into the death of a man manhandled by bouncers at Crown Casino in Melbourne has given rise to the question of whether or not bouncers have enough training, and whether industry regulations are being adequately enforced. Anthony Dunning...
