Category: Sexual Assault

Radio shock-jocks, tabloid newspapers and even populist politicians will often claim that members of the judiciary are too soft-on crime, and on sex offenders in particular. They claim the sentences handed-down do not sufficiently reflect the criminality of the conduct, going so far as to call the state’s sentencing practices a ‘joke’. Putting aside the ...

The Australian Rugby League Commission, which controls and administrator the game, has announced a trial of new rules for junior players in a bid to stem the tide of kids leaving the sport. The shake-up is being described as the “most radical” in the sport’s 110-year history, as the embattled code tries to rebuild its ...

Just weeks after NRL star Jarryd Hayne was charged with aggravated sexual assault over an incident on Grand Final night, another NSW State of Origin player has found himself accused of the very same offence. 27-year old St George Dragons player Jack de Belin has been accused of sexually assaulting a 19-year old woman in ...

Things have gone from bad to worse for former Parramatta Eels Rugby League star Jarryd Hayne. It has been reported that the two time Dally M medallist and former San Francisco 49ers player – against whom civil proceedings for sexual battery were commenced in California last year – voluntarily attended Ryde police station this afternoon, ...

It has been reported that a 46-year old man was stabbed in the abdomen and neck during an altercation which ensued when he allegedly confronted a 54-year old man who was attempting to sexually assault a 7-year old girl in a toilet block underneath a dance studio on Railway Road in Kogarah just before 8pm last ...

In the Melbourne County Court last week, Glenn Antony Hartland pleaded guilty to raping three women and indecently assaulting a fourth. His pleas of guilty were followed by an application for bail, which was granted by the court on strict conditions. This means Mr Hartland will be in the community until his sentencing hearing in ...

A Sydney police officer has been arrested and charged with a range of child sex offences, including attempted sexual intercourse with a child under 10, two counts of sexual intercourse with a child aged between the ages of 10 and 14, aggravated indecent assault and grooming a child under the age of 14 for sex. ...

By Zeb Holmes and Ugur Nedim A recent report by the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) suggested that workplace sexual harassment is on the rise across the nation. But while the global #metoo movement has encouraged complainants to come forward and report sexual misconduct, journalist Ronan Farrow has criticised Australian defamation laws for discouraging reporting ...

By Sonia Hickey and Ugur Nedim Australia’s Catholic leaders have steadfastly refused to break the seal of confession, regardless of the consequences. Existing laws Section 127 of the New South Wales Evidence Act enables clergy “to refuse to disclose a religious confession made to him or her, unless the confession was made for a criminal ...

Australian actor John Jarrett is best known for his starring role in the film Wolf Creek, in which he plays a serial killer who kidnaps and tortures three backpackers in the outback. The 66-year old was publicly accused in November last year of sexually assaulting a female housemate in 1975, while living with his wife ...