More Music Festival Overdoses, But Still No Pill Testing
Another music festival, another death from a drug overdose – and the festival season is just beginning. 19-year Callum Brosnan from Baulkham Hills is dead and three other young adults are in critical conditions after suspected drug overdoses at the...
Police Officer Found Not Guilty of Assaulting Woman
A serving Victorian policeman has been found not guilty of four assault charges after he smashed his way into a woman’s home together with seven other officers 22 years ago, punched her up to seven times in the face and...
Not Guilty on All Charges: An Interview With Medicinal Cannabis Crusader Dr Andrew Katelaris
At around noon on Thursday, a jury found renowned medicinal cannabis practitioner Dr Andrew Katelaris not guilty on a number of very serious charges relating to the supply and manufacture of cannabis medicines. Representing himself in court, Dr Katelaris argued...
Parramatta Justice Precinct: The New Heart of the Sydney’s Legal System
According to European history books, Parramatta is the second-oldest city in Australia, founded by Governor Phillip in 1788. First People had been in the area for some 30,000 years before that, referring to Parramatta as ‘Burramatta’, which means head of...
Supreme Court Slams Salim Mehajer
Former Auburn Deputy Mayor Salim Mehajer was sentenced in June 2018 by Her Honour Magistrate Shurr in Downing Centre Local Court to spend a full term of 21 months in prison, with a minimum term of 11 months. The sentence...
‘The Saddest Case’: Innocent Mentally Impaired Woman Spends 18 Months in Prison
A report tabled in the Victorian parliament last week outlined that a woman with a significant development disorder spent 18 months in prison after being found not guilty on the grounds of her impairment. In the forward to the Investigation into...
Should Conjugal Visits Be Allowed in Australian Prisons?
The question over whether to permit conjugal visits in Australian gaols is a polarising topic. Indeed, many in the community believe inmates forgo their right to spend intimate time with their spouse or significant other once they step through the...
Can I Change My Plea from Guilty to Not Guilty?
Defendants who are charged with criminal offences are often unsure as to how they should plead. This uncertainty may arise as a result of not fully understanding the essential elements (or ingredients) of the charges they are facing. They may...
Disability and Jury Service in NSW
The ACT Legislative Assembly has passed laws which broaden the range of people who can serve on a jury. People with disabilities will be no longer be automatically exempt from jury duty in the nation’s capital. Rather, courts will decide...
Pell to Stand Trial over Child Sexual Assault Allegations
The Melbourne Magistrates Court has committed Cardinal George Pell to stand trial over multiple historical child sexual assault allegations. Magistrate Belinda Wallington found there is enough evidence for Australia’s most senior Catholic cleric to stand trial. However, the court discharged...
