Sydney Criminal Lawyers® Weekly Rundown – Articles from 16 to 22 October 2023
In case you’ve missed any of them, here’s a rundown of the past week’s articles: Police Officer Acquitted of Fatally Shooting Teen Must Testify at Coronial Inquest A police officer acquitted of murdering a teen in Alice Springs has lost...
What is the Knowledge Requirement for Drug Importation in Australia?
The Australian Federal Police arrested a man at Melbourne International Airport last week, over allegations he attempted to import 6 kilograms of heroin concealed in his luggage. The 67-year old Canberra resident was returning from a trip to Manila, Thailand...
Predatory Driving in New South Wales: Law, Defences and Penalties
A New South Wales man has been arrested and charged with several criminal and major traffic offences after allegedly ramming a police car while attempting to avoid arrest over suspicions of sexually touching another person without consent. Police say they...
Victoria Set to Introduce Discrete Criminal Offence of Non-Fatal Strangulation
Victoria is set to strengthen criminal laws against domestic violence by making non-fatal strangulation a discrete offence. The new laws will bring Victoria into line with other states, including New South Wales, the Act and Queensland. The impetus for the...
The Gaza Crisis Reveals Why Our Government Wants More Laws to Police Truth on the Net
US president Joe Biden stood before the global press last week and said he’d “confirmed pictures of terrorists beheading children”. These comments were in regard to reports claiming that Hamas troops had beheaded 40 kids during the incursions it made into...
US Further Heightens Military Presence, With Plans to Station Land Forces in Australia
One might have expected that this year’s ongoing revelations relating to the United States’ militarisation of this continent might have started to slow down. This is especially as the onslaught began on 14 March with PM Anthony Albanese telling the nation that...
If Not Then, Now: First Nations Justice Must Be Wrought via Treaties Based on Truth
Racism is a foundational pillar of so-called Australia. Following its commencement in 1901, the first act of Australian parliament was to pass a series of white supremacist laws that together became known as the White Australia Policy. The “fair go” notion...
Can Witchcraft or Fortune Telling Amount to a Crime in NSW?
‘Double, double toil and trouble!’ – the mischievous dealings of cackling witches, flying around on broomsticks and cursing your crops have been a source of moral panic for centuries. It’s not surprising then, that criminal offences against witchcraft have been...
The Legal Defence of ‘Public Interest’ in New South Wales Defamation Cases
Australia’s national broadcaster has been ordered to pay $390,000 plus interest and legal costs after losing a defamation lawsuit brought by a former Australian Special Forces Commando. The case is important in so far it has made clear the recently-introduced...
Minns Continues to Follow Coalition Playbook on Drug Law Reform: This Time Positively
The last few weeks had seen newly-minted NSW premier Chris Minns reverting back to the 2018-19 Liberal Nationals rhetoric on drug reform, which was the summer that saw five people die in drug-related circumstances at festivals, and spurred an inquiry into...
