Should It be a Crime to Publish Fake News?
Integrity campaigners have labelled the spread of disinformation during the recent Federal Election campaign as ‘intolerable’, and are calling for criminal laws specifically designed to deter such conduct in the future. One campaigner, former NSW supreme court justice Anthony Whealy,...
Police Use of Strip Searches Skyrockets in NSW
At the 11 May Midnight Mafia festival at Sydney Olympic Park, NSW police officers searched 272 punters following an indication from a sniffer dog. Of these, 32 were charged with possession and eight were issued with new on-the-spot fines. This...
The Crime of Kidnapping in New South Wales
A mother and daughter have been sentenced to imprisonment for detaining, assaulting and attempting to force a woman to transfer title to a car. Judge Warwick Hunt of the Downing Centre District Court heard that between 3.40pm and 7pm on...
What is a Penalty Unit?
Many regulatory and criminal offences in Australia come with maximum penalties that consist wholly or partly of fines that are calculated in penalty units. For example, the maximum penalty for the criminal offence of drug possession in New South Wales...
Morrison’s Victory and What the Nation Has Agreed To
Last week, he was our unelected PM. Indeed, the ex-immigration minister had presented himself as the “accidental” head of state following last August’s Liberal leadership spill. But, on Saturday, the nation spoke, and choose Scott Morrison as our duly elected...
Past Trauma Elicits More Sympathy Than a Mental Health Condition
A study from the United States has found that jurors are generally more sympathetic towards defendants who have experienced a difficult upbringing than those who suffer from chronic brain injuries and disorders such as paranoid schizophrenia and anti-social personality disorder....
Queensland’s Facial Recognition Regime a Complete Failure
The Queensland Police Service (QPS) has failed in its bid to suppress an evaluation report which found that the use of facial recognition software during the 2018 Commonwealth Games was completely ineffective. The Gold Coast Games was subjected to the...
Employee Can be Suspended Pending Outcome of Serious Criminal Charges
St George Rugby League player Jack de Belin has lost his bid for reinstatement to the NRL pending the outcome of the sexual assault claims against him. Judge Melissa Perry of the Federal Court recently handed down a judgment in...
Sydney Criminal Lawyers® Weekly Rundown – Articles from 13 to 19 May 2019
In case you’ve missed any of them, here’s a rundown of the past week’s articles: A PM’s Faith Shouldn’t Be Steering a Secular Nation Scott Morrison’s religious views have shaped a number of his discriminatory, divisive and dangerous policies. Click...
The NZ Cannabis Legalisation Referendum: An Interview With NZ Green Party MP Chlöe Swarbrick
New Zealand justice minister Andrew Little announced on 7 May that all three political parties that from the minority coalition government have agreed to the foundational elements of a legal and regulated cannabis market that the nation is set to...
