Victims in criminal cases, or their family members, often want their voices to be heard in the courtroom – to let the defendant, the court and the community know about the impact of the offending conduct. In some circumstances, they will be given an opportunity to do so during sentencing proceedings through what’s known as… Read more »
When applying for a job, you might feel the temptation to ‘embellish’ your CV a little, in order to make your accomplishments and work history look a bit more impressive. While we all know that dishonesty is wrong and could be risky if you got found out, you may have never thought that it could… Read more »
Alleged terrorist plots in Australia have resulted in a backlash against the Muslim community. This backlash has bolstered calls to bring-in the government’s proposed ‘anti-terrorism laws’ and to ‘ban the burqa’. Earlier this month, two women wearing hijabs – a mother and daughter – were stuck in traffic at around 7pm when a 27 year… Read more »
CCTV cameras seem to be everywhere these days – in the streets, on public transport, in pubs, clubs and even restaurants and take-away stores. When public safety is weighed up against privacy, finding a compromise can be difficult. But what if CCTV footage is not all that it is cracked up to be? The NSW… Read more »
During the recent ‘anti-terror raids’, one Western Sydney family awoke at 4.30am to the sound of their door being smashed down and several state and federal police in balaclavas swarming their house. None of the family members were charged with any crimes in the aftermath of the raids that ransacked 16 homes, yet led to… Read more »
Police are not allowed to keep you under arrest without charge indefinitely. Unless you are suspected of terrorism, they can only keep you under arrest for six hours before they either charge you with an offence or release you from custody, unless an extension is granted by a detention warrant. A detention warrant can extend… Read more »
One South Australian man, Trevor Johnson, fought unfair charges of hindering police in court and won. He had been arrested and taken to the local police station after he tried to stop a police officer from inspecting his car for faults. Mr Johnson argued with police, believing they had wrongfully targeted him. He then locked… Read more »
Our criminal justice system relies on the majority of defendants pleading guilty in order to avoid an enormous backlog of cases. But did you know that over half of all defendants plead guilty early on, and a further 28 per cent of end up pleading guilty at a later stage in their criminal proceedings? Only… Read more »
There are thousands-upon-thousands of types of criminal offences in NSW, and it is unlikely that there are many of us that haven’t committed a crime at some point in our lives. Many of us may have received a parking or speeding ticket, but not all offences are classified as ‘criminal’ and will lead to a… Read more »
While road rage is something we may all internally battle, one lawyer certainly didn’t manage to contain his anger after running straight into a motorcycle rider. The rider, 28-year-old Alex Chapman, had only been on his L-plates for less than one week. He was riding along the Pacific Highway when hit from behind by Murray… Read more »
