Veronica Baxter’s Death in Custody: A Trans Woman Neglected in a Male Prison
NSW police raided the Redfern apartment of Veronica Baxter on 10 March 2009, arresting and charging her with several counts of drug supply. The 34-year-old First Nations transgender woman then appeared in Central Local Court, where she was refused bail...
Can I Obtain a Visa into Australia If I Have a Criminal Record?
In July 2013, then 21-year old Patrick O’ Farrell pleaded guilty to manslaughter for killing 20-year old biomedical student Andrew Dolan in a street in Mullingar, Ireland on New Year’s Day in 2012. During the sentencing proceedings, the court viewed...
The Offence of Tampering with Evidence in New South Wales
A Senior Constable with the New South Wales Police Force has pleaded not guilty to five charges in the Downing Centre Local Court, including tampering with evidence with intent to mislead a judicial tribunal, doing an act intending to pervert...
NSW Police Officers Threaten to Break Man’s Legs During Unlawful Arrest
New South Wales police officers have once again been chastised by a magistrate after unlawfully arresting a man in the ACT, a jurisdiction where their powers are not recognised. The court has thrown out all charges against the man, calling...
Is Leaving Your Vehicle’s Window Open an Offence in New South Wales?
Leaving your vehicle unattended with the window down is a little-known offence in New South Wales, but it’s an offence all the same and comes with a fine. One Sydney couple found this out the hard way, when police issued...
Magistrate Blasts Criminal Cops, Awards Defendant $100k in Legal Costs
A Downing Centre Local Court Magistrate has awarded NRL player Curtis Scott $100,000 in legal costs after the assault charges against him were withdrawn and dismissed, slamming police over their multiple assaults against the intoxicated man as he was asleep...
Biggest Ever Anti Money Laundering Payout, But No Executives Criminally Prosecuted
Banking giant Westpac admitted this week that it systematically contravened anti money laundering and counter terrorism financing laws, and has been ordered to pay a fine of $1.3 billion - which is the biggest in Australia’s history. But many are...
Sydney Criminal Lawyer Charged with Aggravated Sexual Assault
Lawyers for a criminal defence lawyer in Sydney who is charged with aggravated sexual assault are fighting to keep the identity of their client and his law firm under wraps. The lawyers made an application before Magistrate Keady in Parramatta...
Can I Secretly Record a Conversation in New South Wales?
Former New South Wales homicide detective Gary Jubelin has lost his appeal against his conviction for illegally recording conversations with a person of interest in the William Tyrrell investigation. Earlier this year, the former detective was found guilty of four...
Journalists Can’t Be Forced to Reveal Their Sources, or Can They?
Press Freedoms and whistleblower protections have rightly been of concern of late. In June last year, the AFP conducted press raids on ABC and News Corp journalists. While Bernard Collaery and David McBride are both facing prosecution in closed courts...