Posts By: Ugur Nedim

Terrorism Fears Lead to Increased Court Security

Security guard

With Australia listing the threat of terrorism as “high”, governments continue to spend heavily on national security. In the latest move, NSW Attorney-General Gabrielle Upton has announced that $5.2 million will be spent to step-up security in NSW Courts by hiring 40 new sheriffs officers. Upton stated that:“The safety of those who work at or… Read more »

Should We Have Bail Bond Agents in NSW?

Sydney Harbour

If you are granted bail in NSW, you or an “acceptable person” who has known you for some time may need to deposit an amount of money before you can be released. The bail money is called “security” and the person who puts up the money is called the “surety”. Alternatively, you or a surety… Read more »

‘Silver Spoon’ Judge Rejects Over 99% of Immigration Applications

Judge order

Applicants are accusing Judge Alexander ‘Sandy’ Street of the Federal Circuit Court of apprehended bias when hearing migration matters. In a highly unusual move, applicants have filed statistics showing that Judge Street found in favour of the Immigration Department in 252 out of 254 cases over the last 6 months. This meant that he found… Read more »

Contempt of Court: What’s the Worst That Can Happen?

Hand on the Bible

A man who refused to take an oath or affirmation in the NSW Supreme Court was sentenced to three years in prison. He was found guilty of two counts of contempt of court, one for refusing to give sworn evidence and a second for threatening violence against an officer of the court. When someone is… Read more »

Courthouse Dogs: Supporting Vulnerable Witnesses

Pug puppy

Giving testimony in court can be a confronting experience – especially for children and other vulnerable witnesses. But a US-based organisation has come up with an innovative way of supporting reluctant and frightened witnesses in the courtroom. What is ‘Courthouse Dogs’? Courthouse Dogs is an organisation that was established in Washington State in 2012 by… Read more »

Who are the New District Court Judges?

Judge's hammer

You might be aware of the heavy delays facing the criminal justice system in New South Wales, with the District Court alone reporting a backlog of almost 2,000 trials. To ease this burden, the state Attorney-General Gabrielle Upton recently announced the appointment of two new District Court judges, who will specialise in hearing child sexual… Read more »

Justice Delayed is Justice Denied: NSW Courts in Crisis

Justice figure

It won’t be news to many criminal lawyers, but the New South Wales Law Reform Commission has warned that NSW courts are in “crisis.” With growing case-loads, increasing delays and decreasing numbers of magistrates, judges and court staff, it’s clear that there is a significant amount of pressure is being placed upon the NSW court… Read more »