NSW Police Turned Their Body Cameras Off Before Fatally Shooting Mentally Ill Man
NSW police tactical operations officers didn’t have to shoot Todd McKenzie dead on a July evening in 2019. Yet, following a nine-hour siege, five officers stormed his Taree home, where he was alone, and shot the 40-year-old man, having a mental...
Character References Must Disclose Knowledge of Offences
Character references are normally handed-up to a court during the sentencing hearing; which is when the court decides the penalty that will be imposed on a defendant. These references are an important way to show the defendant has accepted responsibility...
Violet Coco Wins District Court Appeal, But NSW Police Continue to Target Climate Protesters
Violet Coco has had her 15 month prison sentence as well as her criminal conviction quashed by NSW District Court Judge Mark Williams, who yesterday allowed the climate defender’s appeal against severity and resentenced her to a 12 month conditional...
I’ve Been Accused of a Criminal Offence: Will I Get Bail?
If you’ve been arrested and charged with a criminal offence at a police station, one of your immediate concerns may be whether you’ll be released from custody until your scheduled court date. Those who are charged by way of a...
How Do I Check if a Warrant is Out for My Arrest?
There are many myths about arrest warrants, including when they can be issued and what you should do if you have been issued with one. So here’s some information that may assist if you suspect police could be knocking on...
The New Consent Directions in Jury Trials for Sexual Offences
The Crimes Legislation Amendment (Sexual Consent Reforms) Act 2021 (‘the Amending Act’) came into effect on 1 June 2022 (NSW), overhauling the definition of consent as it relates to certain sexual offences and revising the meaning of sexual intercourse, sexual touching and...
Tips For Testifying in Court as a Witness
Receiving a subpoena to attend court as a witness can be nerve-wracking, particularly if all you know about giving evidence - also known as ‘testifying’ – is from courtroom dramas where a lawyer eviscerates a hapless person on the stand...
Towards Rights-Based Bail, and the Chilling Effect of Extreme Conditions on Climate Action
The last 12 months have been marked by a new tactic taken towards nonviolent direct actions carried out in the defence of climate and the environment, which has seen jurisdictions, such as NSW, Victoria and Tasmania, dramatically escalate the punishments...
DNA Evidence is Not as Reliable as Many Believe it to Be
TV-shows like CSI and Bones, have seared in the public consciousness the image of the faultless crime fighting forensic scientist and infallibility of DNA evidence. But the reality is that DNA evidence is not what many believe it to be...
What is A Voir Dire?
A lot of legal jargon is outdated, confusing, unnecessary and even counter-productive to ensuring the law is comprehensible to all people - whether represented by a lawyer or self-represented - and that access to justice is fair, regardless of whether...
