Revenge Porn to be Criminalised Across Australia
Less than six months after an inquiry into criminalising revenge porn in NSW, Federal Labor MPs have introduced a private member bill aimed at doing just that. Revenge porn is when one person, usually an aggrieved ex-partner, publishes sexually explicit...
Policemen Prey on Victims of Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence
Who would you call if you were a victim of unwelcome sexual contact? For most people, the first thing that springs to mind is: ‘The police.’ But what happens when the person who is making the advances is a senior...
Judge Refers to Defendant as ‘Mr Guilty’
‘Freudian slips’ happen to all of us from time to time. Unfortunately, judges are also prone to slip-ups - even when giving crucial instructions to jurors when a defendant’s future is on the line. Indeed, there are several instances of...
Reducing Reoffending: Prison versus Suspended Sentences
A prison sentence is supposed to send a strong message to the individual and the wider community that crime is not tolerated, and that heavy sanctions apply to those who dare to break the law. But a study published by...
Bushrangers: Aussie Legends or Vile Criminals?
Bushrangers, once a terrifying part of the Australian landscape, now only occupy pages of in history books. Yet some of these early Australian criminals were fascinating people in their own right. Early bushrangers were called ‘bolters’ because they were escaped...
Australia to Get National Crime Database
The Australian Crime Commission (ACC) is a Commonwealth body tasked with fighting organised crime in Australia. The body has recently proposed the creation of a National Criminal Database to give law enforcement agencies across Australia greater access to intelligence about...
Selfie with Stolen Echidna Gets Men into Strife
In August of this year, Tyson Paul Bother and a friend broke into Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary in the Gold Coast and took an echidna named ‘Piggie’ after a few too many drinks. According to Mr Bother, they intended to steal...
Man Narrowly Escapes Prison for Assault at Newtown Pub
A man who assaulted a transgender woman at a Newtown pub has narrowly escaped prison time. Alexis Ozanne is one of two men charged with assaulting Stephanie McCarthy at a Newtown pub. He pleaded guilty to ‘affray’ and ‘assault occasioning...
ICAC Acts Illegally with “Breathtaking Arrogance”
2015 hasn’t been a great year for the Independent Commission Against Corruption - after losing a landmark case against prominent criminal lawyer Margaret Cunneen, the body found its powers curtailed. Now, a report by ICAC Commissioner David Levine, QC spells...
Extremists Treated Differently Based Upon Religion
Media reporting about the threat of terrorism in Australia is relentless, with the focus almost exclusively being upon international Muslim extremist groups. In the wake of the tragic Paris attacks, public fear has triggered calls for a range of measures...
