Mobile Phone Use Blamed for Rising Road Toll
Almost 1300 people died on our roads last year, making 2016 the second successive year to see a rise in the figures, after decades of decline. The increase has left many trying to figure out why. Since 1970, when the...
Murder for Hire in Australia
2016 was a big year for media coverage of contract killings. The year started with the murder of Joseph Acquaro, the criminal defence lawyer for Melbourne crime boss Rocco Arico. More recently, crime figure Pasquale Barbaro lost his life in...
Are E-Cigarettes Legal?
Electronic cigarettes or ‘vapes’ are becoming a popular alternative to smoking, but there’s some confusion about whether they are actually legal and if so, whether they are subject to anti-smoking laws. The answer is not simple - lawmakers around the...
Objection! That’s Hearsay.
We’ve all heard rumours which don’t seem to originate from the person who actually observed the subject event. And while we all have a general understanding of what hearsay means - information received from others which cannot be substantiated- the...
Not Charged with Terrorism Despite Allegedly Making Death / Injury Threats to NYE Celebrations
40-year old Damian O’Neil was arrested at Sydney Airport after disembarking a flight from London to Sydney. He was charged with ‘sending documents containing threats to kill or or inflict grievous bodily harm’ under section 31 of the Crimes Act...
Credit Card Thief Finds Loophole
A young man who allegedly stole credit cards in early December has found a way of getting around the problem of having to quickly buy goods before the stolen credit cards are cancelled – he just used the credit cards...
The Murder of Police Whistle-Blower Sallie-Anne Huckstepp
A man was walking his dog through Centennial Park in Sydney on the morning of February 7, 1986 when he noticed the body of a woman floating in Busby Pond. After police were alerted, two uniformed constables rowed out and dragged...
Police Claim Major Success in War on Drugs
“This job started with just a thread of information to the NSWPF’s Drug Squad two and a half years ago”, NSW Police Commissioner Mark Jenkins told a reporter. “That thread has helped us keep more than a tonne of illegal...
Beating a Traffic Ticket Without a Lawyer
Whether it’s for driving a few kilometres over the speed limit, checking a mobile phone message, or because you didn’t realise your mate in the back seat wasn’t wearing a seatbelt, getting a fine for a traffic offence is always a...
Off-duty police officer allegedly brandishes gun whilst drunk
Police officers are permitted to use their powers around the clock, whether or not they are on-duty. This means they can exercise powers of arrest and search, give move-on directions and even issue fines whilst they are off-duty. And while...
