Judge Refers to Defendant as ‘Mr Guilty’
‘Freudian slips’ happen to all of us from time to time. Unfortunately, judges are also prone to slip-ups - even when giving crucial instructions to jurors when a defendant’s future is on the line. Indeed, there are several instances of...
Extremists Treated Differently Based Upon Religion
Media reporting about the threat of terrorism in Australia is relentless, with the focus almost exclusively being upon international Muslim extremist groups. In the wake of the tragic Paris attacks, public fear has triggered calls for a range of measures...
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...
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...
Whaling Company Fined for Wilful Contempt
The Federal Court of Australia has fined a Japanese whaling company $1 million for the criminal offence of ‘wilful contempt’ after it breached a 2008 order made under section 475 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth)...
DNA Falsely Connecting People to Crimes
DNA is often thought of as a ‘magic bullet’ – having the ‘final say’ as far as the facts are concerned, but this isn’t always the case. In fact, the improper use of DNA evidence is fraught with danger -...
‘WTF’ Cases That Will Have You Shaking Your Head
Animals have no independent voice, and it is left to concerned humans to conserve and protect them from cruelty. Although we still have a long way to go before animals are granted basic rights, there are acts of cruelty that...
Australia Applies to Join the UNHRC: But Existing Members are Critical
Delegates from more than 100 countries delivered speeches during the latest meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, many of whom were highly critical of Australia’s human rights record, especially our treatment of asylum seekers. Countries...
‘WTF’ Cases: Oral Sex with Animals
The Supreme Court of Canada recently heard a disturbing case where it has been called upon to decide whether all sexual acts on animals constitute bestiality. The case concerned a man who coaxed the family dog into performing oral sex...
Judge Suspended for Challenging Lawyer to a Fist Fight
Everyone knows Judge Judy, the television judge that often loses her patience with litigants who “pee on her leg and tell her it’s raining”. But one Florida judge has taken it a step further - challenging a lawyer to a...
