Sydney Police Officer and Catholic Priest Charged with Child Abuse Material Offences
A Catholic Priest and Police Officer, both based in Sydney, have been charged with child abuse material offences after an investigation by the Professional Standards Command in May this year into data being stored on and distributed from an electronic...
Retrial Ordered Due to Judge’s Failure to Give Fair and Proper Directions to Jury
According to the Crown, David Melia pulled into a service station in the Sydney southwestern suburb of Ruse to buy tobacco on the night of 26 June 2018. After being approached by Frank McGuiness, Melia agreed to drive the stranger...
What is False Imprisonment in New South Wales?
A false imprisonment occurs where a person is detained in contravention of the law. It can happen where police officers exercise an unlawful arrest; in other words; arrest a person in the absence of a warrant and without complying with...
What are the Penalties for Prohibited Drug Offences in New South Wales?
The main piece of legislation in New South Wales which facilitates the prohibition of drugs is the Drug Misuse and Trafficking Act 1985 (‘the Act’). The main criminal offences contained in the Act are divided into two parts: Summary offences...
The Offence of Having Custody of a Knife in a Public Place or School
The New South Wales Government is currently reviewing a legal exception which allowed a New South Wales teenager to be carrying a knife, which he allegedly used to stab a fellow student at a Sydney High School. Under section 11C...
What is an Unlawful Detention?
As information continues to emerge about the recent alleged kidnapping of former Australian test cricketer Stuart MacGill, many people are still coming to terms with the chilling details. Mr MacGill alleges he was kidnapped on 14 April 2021, driven to...
What is a Sentencing Discount in New South Wales?
22 year old Sydney man Mert Ney has been sentenced to a full term of 44 years in prison, with a non-parole period of 33 years, after pleading guilty to murdering 24 year old sex worker Michaela Dunn before running...
What Is Involuntary Manslaughter?
Melbourne trucking company manager Simiona Tuteru is currently facing four charges of manslaughter in relation to the deaths of four police officers who were killed when they were run over by truck driver Mohinder Singh in April 2020 on Melbourne’s...
Federal Court Hears Challenge to COVID Travel Bans
Since March 2020, those residing in Australia have generally been prohibited from travelling overseas without a Federal Government exemption. A recent exception to this rule is the New Zealand ‘travel bubble’, which since 19 April 2021 has permitted travel to...
Rape or Sexual Assault? What is the Correct Legal Term in New South Wales?
Yesterday’s sentencing of former football star Jarryd Hayne has triggered online debate about whether the correct description of the offence for which he was convicted is ‘rape’ or ‘sexual assault’. Mr Hayne was convicted of two counts of sexual assault,...
