Police Officer Charged with Murder After Shooting Teenager Dead
Dashcams can prove to be very handy in the event that your car is involved in a crash. But many interesting, funny, or even tragic events have also been unintentionally captured by these increasingly-popular devices. Dashcam footage has recently emerged...
Diversity of Australian Magistrates and Judges
Anyone who regularly practices in our courts will tell you that the ethnic and gender composition of lawyers in NSW is diverse. But when it comes to magistrates and judges, the situation is very different - most of whom are still...
Condom Mercy Mission and the Defence of Necessity
Back in 2004, 24-year-old Darwin man Lee Collinson was driving without a licence to his cousin’s home when pulled over by police. His explanation for driving was that he had to make urgent delivery: “My cousin was about to [have...
Customs Officer Sent to Prison for Drug Charges
We have previously written about corruption and collusion of Australian Customs Officers, now known as Border Force Officers. One such case has recently been finalised in the NSW District Court, with a jury finding former Customs Officer Phillip Cranney guilty...
The Problem of Imbalanced Juries, Part 1
The right to trial by jury is a fundamental part of our criminal justice system, and one of the few rights guaranteed by our constitution. The reasoning is that the guilt or innocence of an accused person is supposed to be...
Wrongly Imprisoned Man Released After 16 Years
30-year-old Los Angeles man Luis Lorenzo Vargas was convicted of sexually assaulting three women in 1999 after being loosely identified by the complainants - who said that the perpetrator had either one or two small tattoos of a teardrop running...
Muslim Australians Increasingly Victimised
Australia is meant to be a multicultural, accepting and inclusive country, but recent events suggest that a minority of Australians are anything but welcoming of other cultures. In the wake of a series of terrorist attacks perpetrated by violent extremists,...
Justice for Biggie: Police Shoot Another Non-Threatening Dog
Losing a beloved family pet is a heartbreaking experience - but the loss is all the more traumatic when your companion is mercilessly shot dead, despite posing no threat of harm. We recently wrote a blog about 11-month-old puppie ‘Hulk’,...
Justice Reinvestment and Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS)
Making the world a better place for people and animals is no easy feat, but the dedicated teams behind Justice Reinvestment Australia and the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) have achieved just that. Justice Reinvestment Australia With Australian prisons packed...
Should the Names of Defendants be Published Before Guilt is Decided?
Being publicly named and shamed can be one of the worst things about being accused of a crime. Even if your innocence becomes clear and the charges are dropped, the damage may already have been done – and your career...
