Category: Sexual Assault

Recommendations have been made for an independent investigation into the problem of sexual assaults at Australian universities, after a survey found that students are suffering “unacceptable” rates of victimisation. The findings arise from a landmark survey of 31,000 Australian students, many of whom report being assaulted on the way to university, inside residential colleges, and ...

The NSW Police Force Handbook is meant to be the gospel when it comes to policing in our state. It is a comprehensive, 518 page document which provides information, advice and guidance on practically every aspect of policing. The publicly available handbook establishes best practices which all police are meant to follow when executing their ...

By Kieran Adair and Ugur Nedim In 1987, a plucky, young lawyer from Sydney fronted the British press and rallied against the government’s censorship of free speech. The young lawyer’s argument? That former MI5 agent Peter Wright’s novel, ‘Spycatcher’, should be published because people had a right to know about the hypocrisy of their government. ...

Luke Lazarus was recently acquitted of ‘sexual intercourse without consent’ after a retrial over an incident which took place in 2013 near a nightclub owned by his father. On the night in question, Mr Lazarus met the complainant inside the club. They danced and he asked if she would like to go “somewhere private”. The ...

By Zeb Holmes and Ugur Nedim A Sydney criminologist believes that the implementation of preventative and diversionary strategies is the primary reason for most categories of crime declining across the state in recent years. Dr Garner Clancey, a senior lecturer at the University of Sydney, points out that many offences have fallen by as much ...

A jury in London found Australian entertainer Rolf Harris not guilty of ‘groping’ a blind and disabled woman, and a 13-year old girl who asked for an autograph at a radio station. He was also cleared of sexually assaulting a 42-year old woman, who alleged Harris put his hand up her skirt and onto her ...

By Sonia Hickey and Ugur Nedim More than 1,800 Catholic Church figures and 4,444 allegations of abuse. Horrific numbers, which a senior Catholic Church figure has described as ‘shocking’ and ‘indefensible’ at the 50th public hearing of the Royal Commission – the 16th hearing dealing with abuse within the Catholic Church. The three-week hearing currently ...

One man’s life will never be the same after being convicted of rape for secretly removing a condom during sex with a woman he had met online. The 47-year old French man and his companion, a Swiss woman, met on Tinder (where else). After their second date, they decided to go to bed together. They ...

A lawyer in the US has been sentenced to 12 years in prison and permanently disbarred from practising law after using hypnosis on his clients to sexually gratify himself. Attorney Michael Fine was caught in a police sting initiated by one of his clients, who felt something was terribly wrong about their meetings together. Hypnosis ...

By Sonia Hickey and Ugur Nedim. A 35-year old lawyer from London is facing prison time after his drunken behaviour got out of control at a Christmas Party at the prestigious London Rowing Club, leading to convictions for ‘racially-aggravated assault’ and ‘sexual assault’. Festive celebrations went horribly wrong for lawyer Alastair Main in December 2015 ...