School Mistress Avoids Prison for Multiple Aggravated Sexual Assaults
Sections of the community are calling for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to appeal the sentence of a school duty mistress who has walked free after being convicted of sexual offences involving several teenage boys in her care. The...
New Surry Hills Children’s Court Brings Fresh Hope for Troubled Youths
The Bidura Children’s Court in Sydney has a long and fascinating history. It closed its doors last year and has since been replaced by the Surry Hill’s Children’s Court, but the old building standing and has been nominated for heritage...
Australian Journalist Imprisoned in Cambodia Seeks Royal Pardon
A three-judge panel of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court found Australian journalist and documentary film-maker James Ricketson guilty of espionage on 31 August. And to the disbelief of those gathered there to support the 69-year-old, the court sentenced him to six...
A Walk Through History: Bidura Children’s Court’s ‘Dungeon’
Some of Australia’s most infamous criminals had their initiation into custody at Bidura Children’s Court and Remand Centre. The Bidura Children’s Court first opened in 1911 and is currently undergoing a multi-million dollar renovation. The excavations have uncovered a number...
Silencing Dissent: Morrison Threatens to Deregister Trade Union
Reigning Australian prime minister Scott Morrison has threatened to close down the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMMEU), following a union boss’ tweet that the head of the executive said was the last straw that broke “the camel’s back.”...
Sydney Criminal Lawyers® Weekly Rundown – Articles from 3 to 9 September 2018
In case you’ve missed any of them, here’s a rundown of the past week’s articles: Do I have to attend the court if subpoenaed? Those who are subpoenaed to attend court or produce materials have certain rights and obligations. Click...
Claims of a ‘Sudanese Crime Wave’: Political Point Scoring at its Worst
Lawyer and social justice advocate Nyadol Nyuon recently asserted on a breakfast news program that media reports of a ‘Sudanese gang crime wave’ in Victoria are unfounded, as crimes committed by that section of the community represent a drop in...
Stopping Abuses Behind Bars: An Interview With Churchill Fellow Steven Caruana
“The degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons,” wrote the 19th Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky. If his statement is anything to go by, then recent developments would indicate that such an evaluation could lead...
Taxpayers Foot the Bill for Public Service Scammers
Employees of the Department of Home Affairs, which is overseen by Minister Peter Dutton, are reported to have been caught claiming fraudulent sick leave – with one particular employee submitting 29 fraudulent medical certificates over a 6-year period. The figures,...
How the Government’s New Laws Will Unlock Citizens’ Private Data
On 14 July last year, former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull announced that the government wanted the power to access people’s encrypted messages. Last month, Dutton’s Home Affairs super-ministry delivered draft legislation that will allow authorities to do just that. And while...
