How Much Will My Sentence Be Reduced If I Plead Guilty?
A 64-year old man facing 23 allegations of historical child sexual offences, including having sexual intercourse with a person under the age of 16-years, has changed his plea from not guilty to guilty just hours after his trial started. The...
Can Good Character References Be Used During Sentencing Proceedings for Child Sex Offences?
Two young men are on a campaign to prohibit those who plead guilty or are found guilty of child sexual offences from using good character references during their sentencing hearings, which is the time when the magistrate or judge decides...
The Law, Penalties and Defences Relating to Child Prostitution in NSW
New South Wales has decriminalised prostitution (‘sex work’) involving consenting adults but, and perhaps needless to say, child sexual offences including conduct relating to child prostitution are treated very seriously by the law and the courts. Here is an outline...
Vatican Accuses Australian Bishop of Sexual Offences
An independent report commissioned by the Vatican has labelled a Catholic Bishop from Western Australia a ‘sexual predator’, accusing him of sexually assaulting four Indigenous youths and grooming dozens of others. Vatican commissioned investigation The Vatican confirmed it commissioned the...
Brian Houston Found Not Guilty of Concealing Child Sexual Abuse
Hillsong Church Founder Brian Houston has been cleared of accusations he concealed child sexual offences committed by his father, Frank Houston, in the 1970s. Brian Houston, who is a long time friend of former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, was...
Sexual Offences Against Young Persons Under ‘Special Care’ in New South Wales
The story of Chris Dawson, a high school teacher who married one of his former student’s after his wife Lynette’s disappearance in 1982 is a case that has gripped the nation. And justice for Lynette’s family has been a long...
The Offence of Using a Carriage Service to Procure a Child Under 16 for Sexual Activity
The deputy principal at a high school in Sydney’s south-west has been sentenced to more than three and a half years behind bars for sexting who he believed to be a 14-year old girl. Damian Wanstall’s LinkedIn profile hasn’t been...
Criminal Offences Related to Paying for Sexual Services in New South Wales
Although sex work has largely been decriminalised in New South Wales, criminal offences still apply to the purchase of sexual services in certain circumstances. Here is what you need to know as a client of sex workers. General Rules Regarding...
AI Generated Images Are Being Used To Catch Online Sexual Predators
The recent released film The Artifice Girl depicts the use of a fictitious child generated by artificial intelligence (AI) to lure and trap online child sexual predators. Whilst many features of the film are purely science fiction, police in Australia will often...
Is It a Crime to Lie About Your Age for Sex?
Getting older isn’t easy, particularly when it narrows your prospects in the dating game. It’s understandable that many are tempted to sneakily lower their age on Tinder or to tell a little white lie on a date, particularly if there’s...
