By Paul Gregoire and Ugur Nedim Late last night, the parliament of NSW passed one of the most comprehensive criminal justice reform packages in state history. The state’s attorney general Mark Speakman introduced the legislation designed to crackdown on child sexual predators into state parliament on June 6. The Criminal Legislation Amendment (Child Sexual Abuse) Bill ...
Category: Sex Offences
NSW Police Officer Avoids Prison After Filming and Publishing Sexual Act Without Consent
By Sonia Hickey and Ugur Nedim A New South Wales police officer has been spared prison time after filming a colleague without consent while they were having sex and sharing it online to boast to colleagues. 28-year old senior constable Timothy Patterson filmed a sexual encounter with a fellow off-duty officer at a city hotel ...
Is Catfishing Illegal?
Using the internet to meet new friends, set up potential dates, hook up sexual liaisons or seek out a life partner is a worldwide phenomenon. For the most part, users of online social platforms can rely on the profiles of others to get a rough idea of who they are and what they look like ...
Catholic Priests Refuse to Report Child Sexual Abuse
By Sonia Hickey and Ugur Nedim South Australian Catholic priests say they will defy a forthcoming state law which will require them to report information received during past or present confessions about child sex abuse. The South Australian Catholic Church has made it clear its members will be directed not adhere to the laws because ...
Pioneer Sex Worker Rights Activist Awarded Order of Australia
The governor general, Sir Peter Cosgrove, announced 1007 awards in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list on Monday. And in an Australian first, a leading sex worker rights activist has been made an officer of the Order of Australia (AO). Julie Bates has been at the forefront of the Australian sex worker rights movement for the last ...
Australia – Where Backpackers are Exploited and Harassed
By Sonia Hickey and Ugur Nedim Australia has long been a country that young people aspire to travel – the golden beaches, surf culture, and the never-ending sunshine make it attractive to backpackers in particular. And the Australian Government has made it relatively easy for young people to come for an extended period. But the ...
‘Sextortion’ and ‘Revenge Porn’ on the Rise in Australia
By Sonia Hickey and Ugur Nedim Fake ‘morphed’ photos are fast becoming the latest way that people can bully and humiliate each other online, with reports the Federal eSafety commission is currently investigating a number of cases involving digitally altered images where innocuous headshots have been used in conjunction with pornographic body images, then circulated ...
Archbishop Guilty of Covering up Child Sexual Abuse
By Sonia Hickey and Ugur Nedim One of Australia’s most senior Catholics has been found guilty of concealing child sexual abuse and faces a maximum penalty of two years in prison. 67-year old Archbishop Philip Wilson was charged in March 2015 with one count of concealing a serious indictable offence under section 316 of the ...
Obtain Explicit Consent to Sex, or You Are a Rapist
The New South Wales Attorney General has asked for an urgent review of NSW sexual consent laws after the story of Saxon Mullins made media headlines this week. Ms Mullins’ case involved a five-year long legal battle involving two high profile trials, after she accused Luke Lazarus of sexually assaulting her in an isolated alley ...
Pell to Stand Trial over Child Sexual Assault Allegations
The Melbourne Magistrates Court has committed Cardinal George Pell to stand trial over multiple historical child sexual assault allegations. Magistrate Belinda Wallington found there is enough evidence for Australia’s most senior Catholic cleric to stand trial. However, the court discharged the Cardinal of a number of serious charges due to the unreliability of the complainant ...