Posts Categorized: Uncategorized

New Tougher Laws Against Hate Speech in NSW: A Kneejerk Reaction to a Likely False Flag

Hate Speech laws in NSW

By Paul Gregoire and Ugur Nedim On the last parliamentary sitting day in NSW for 2023, the Minns government successfully passed legislation that served to tighten a hate speech offence, as a safeguard mechanism within it was deemed to have rendered it ineffective and having resulted in a lack of convictions. The offence was tightened during… Read more »

Parity in Sentencing: Youth Sentence Reduced to Reflect Co-Accused’s Successful Appeal

Parity in Sentencing

By Paul Gregoire and Ugur Nedim At about 9.50 pm on 16 December 2021, Jordan Campton, Brayden Taylor and Brock Ruwoldt were leaving the Events Cinema at Liverpool’s Westfield Shopping Centre, when they were set upon by a group of six male youths, who cornered and then began harassing them. One of the teen assailants,… Read more »

Terrorism Offences: Judges Must Properly Consider Mitigating Factors During Sentencing

Sentencing considerations

By Paul Gregoire and Ugur Nedim A 15-year-old male came to the attention of the AFP’s NSW Joint Counter Terrorism Team (JCTT) in May 2015, as he’d been accessing violent Islamic extremist material online. The AFP’s National Disruption Group (NDG) then got in touch with the teen’s family and suggested his father make a plan… Read more »

Conduct Suggesting Consciousness of Guilt Insufficient to Convict, Appeal Court Finds

Consciousness of Guilt

By Paul Gregoire and Ugur Nedim Just after noon on 10 August 2018, Jeff McKee burst into the Hereford Street home of Blake Davis in Sydney’s Glebe. Davis was eating breakfast with his girlfriend Hannah Quinn, when the intruder, armed with a set of knuckledusters and a handgun, appeared inside the house. McKee screamed at… Read more »

A Summary of the New South Wales Police Use of Force Manual

Covid police

By Paul Gregoire and Ugur Nedim The 2022 NSW Police Use of Force Manual opens by advising that when engaging in physical confrontation officers shouldn’t be concerned with future criticism, but instead ensure that no more force than reasonably necessary is applied when carrying out duties safely and effectively. The sole NSW police oversight body, the Law… Read more »

Sentence for Fraud Reduced, as Scheme was Unsophisticated and Yield Was Only Modest

Fraud investigation

By Paul Gregoire and Ugur Nedim The Australian Government Disaster Relief Payment (AGDRP) is a one-off $1,000 amount provided to Australian residents impacted by a disaster. And due to the circumstances victims of disasters face, proof of identity doesn’t need to be cited immediately, but rather within 28 days of applying. Over the period 15… Read more »

High Court Rules Indefinite Detention of High Risk Offenders Is Constitutional

Court Indefinite Detention

By Paul Gregoire and Ugur Nedim The High Court of Australia has, for the second time in 18 months, ruled in favour of a legal regime that permits indefinite detention. However, unlike its June 2021 ruling, which found that the executive can detain illegal noncitizens without end, last Wednesday’s decision impacts inmates deemed high risk. The case… Read more »

The Offence of Displaying a Nazi Symbol by a Public Act Without Reasonable Excuse

Nazi Symbol

By Paul Gregoire and Ugur Nedim The NSW government last Thursday banned the public display of Nazi symbols, including the Hakenkreuz, the Third Reich’s corruption of the ancient swastika, making this state the second jurisdiction nationally to prohibit the insignia associated with antisemitism, racism and genocide. Introduced in late June, the Crimes Amendment (Prohibition on Display of… Read more »