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...
The Problem of Imbalanced Juries, Part 2: ‘Blackstriking’
Chapter 39 of the Magna Carter says that a person should not face criminal sanctions except “by lawful judgment of his peers”. Indeed, trial by jury for charges dealt with ‘on indictment’ (ie in the higher courts) is one of...
‘Biggie’s’ Killer Suspended for Taking Meth at Stereosonic
Police are paid to uphold and enforce the law. In fact, NSW taxpayers forked out 3.2 billion dollars to fund the state’s police force last year alone. They are equipped with lethal weaponry and entrusted with ever-expanding powers. Police in...
St George Customer Pockets over $2 Million Due to Bank Error
It might sound like a dream come true - withdrawing millions of dollars from your empty bank account. But a fantasy can quickly become a nightmare if you knowingly take money that you know does not belong to you. This...
Police Officer Charged with Murder After Shooting Teenager Dead
Dashcams can prove to be very handy in the event that your car is involved in a crash. But many interesting, funny, or even tragic events have also been unintentionally captured by these increasingly-popular devices. Dashcam footage has recently emerged...
Diversity of Australian Magistrates and Judges
Anyone who regularly practices in our courts will tell you that the ethnic and gender composition of lawyers in NSW is diverse. But when it comes to magistrates and judges, the situation is very different - most of whom are still...
Customs Officer Sent to Prison for Drug Charges
We have previously written about corruption and collusion of Australian Customs Officers, now known as Border Force Officers. One such case has recently been finalised in the NSW District Court, with a jury finding former Customs Officer Phillip Cranney guilty...
The Problem of Imbalanced Juries, Part 1
The right to trial by jury is a fundamental part of our criminal justice system, and one of the few rights guaranteed by our constitution. The reasoning is that the guilt or innocence of an accused person is supposed to be...
Wrongly Imprisoned Man Released After 16 Years
30-year-old Los Angeles man Luis Lorenzo Vargas was convicted of sexually assaulting three women in 1999 after being loosely identified by the complainants - who said that the perpetrator had either one or two small tattoos of a teardrop running...
Muslim Australians Increasingly Victimised
Australia is meant to be a multicultural, accepting and inclusive country, but recent events suggest that a minority of Australians are anything but welcoming of other cultures. In the wake of a series of terrorist attacks perpetrated by violent extremists,...
