Which Crimes Are Most Frequently Detected in Australia?
The common populist phrase ‘if you do the crime, you should do the time’ suggests that those who commit criminal offences should be caught and prosecuted – regardless of how trivial or outdated the offence may be, or how futile...
What is Stalking in New South Wales?
The SBS Insight program featured a segment some time ago about the nature and prevalence of stalking in Australia, with alleged offenders, complainants and police officers relating their experiences of such conduct and the criminal justice system’s treatment of it....
Lockout Laws to be Relaxed in Sydney
January doesn’t just signal the start of a new year, it’s also when a range of new laws will commence in New South Wales. Rollback of lockout laws For many late-night business operators and socialisers, the rollback of lock out...
The Offence of Choking, Suffocation and Strangulation in New South Wales
In December 2018, the NSW Parliament passed the Crimes Legislation Amendment Bill which inserted a new section 37(1A) into the Crimes Act 1900. Unlike the existing section 37, subsection (1A) does not require the prosecution to prove that the defendant’s...
What is Extortion?
The Federal Court’s judgment in 2020 had found Centrelink’s ‘robodebt system’ to be unlawful, and ordered the federal government to pay the legal costs of a social security recipient who challenged a debt notice that was issued to her in...
The Law and Penalties for Leaving Children Unattended in Vehicles
A woman has been charged with murder after her one and two-year old daughters were found dead in a car, allegedly as a result of being exposed to extreme heat. It has been reported that police and paramedics responded to...
Man Bashes Heavily Pregnant Muslim Woman
Many of us have now seen the horrific footage of a Sydney man assaulting a heavily pregnant woman in a Parramatta café. The man, Stipe Lozina, allegedly punched Ms Rana Elasmar repeatedly in an unprovoked attack - then stomped on...
Another NSW Police Officer Faces Court Over Assault Charges
Another senior NSW police officer is facing court accused of multiple assault offences while on duty. He has been charged with two counts of common assault and one of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, in relation to an incident which...
The Offence of Stalking or Intimidation in NSW
It has been reported that 30-year old, retiring South Sydney Rabbitohs NRL star Sam Burgess has been charged with stalking or intimidation with intent to cause fear of physical or mental harm over an incident at around 4pm on Saturday,...
What is the Meaning of ‘Intimidate’ in the Criminal Law?
The act of intimidation forms part of many criminal offences in NSW, and indeed across Australia. Some of the many offences containing the word intimidation, intimidatory, intimidates or intimidate appear are: Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) Section 12 - Compassing deposition...