The NSW Attorney-General has applied to have a Sydney man declared a ‘vexatious litigant’ after he launched numerous and repeated court actions against his neighbours, leaving them with tens of thousands of dollars in legal bills. Nader Mohareb is best known for legal action against his Scotland Island neighbour Matthew Palmer, who he sued for… Read more »
NSW Courts Articles
US vs Australia Battle Over the Ugg Boot: Should Our Government Protect Its Aussie Identity?
What’s in a name? Plenty if you ask the two footwear companies engaged in a David vs Goliath legal battle over the name ‘Ugg’. One of the businesses heading to court in the United States is a small Sydney manufacturing company that has been making Ugg boots since the early 1990s. It’s opponent is giant… Read more »
Fraud on the Rise in NSW
While most categories of crime in NSW have fallen, our state has experienced a significant rise in fraud cases. Statistics published by the NSW Bureau of Crime and Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) suggest that the total number of fraud offences in 2013 and 2014 was 98,647, up 7.5% on the previous 24 month period. Definition… Read more »
When a Case Goes Cold. The Mystery of Madeleine McCann
This month marks the 9th Anniversary of the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. It also coincides with an announcement by Scotland Yard that it is pursuing one final lead, and unless more evidence comes to light, it will prepare to wind up the investigation into how the little girl vanished from a Portuguese resort in 2007…. Read more »
Husband Gets Payout After Wife Refuses to Settle
Despite the sums of money involved in this case, it is not a story about a famous actor, sports star or wealthy statesperson. It is about an ordinary English couple whose relationship breakup has just cost the woman £200,000. And although it didn’t happen in NSW, it sends a warning that greed can have serious… Read more »
Woman Steals Handbag After Convincing Judge of Her Good Character
Every now and again, a story turns up in the media you just couldn’t make up, no matter how hard you tried. This one involves an Illawarra woman who allegedly stole the prosecutor’s handbag from Wollongong District Courthouse, in full view of CCTV, only moments after she conducted an ‘award winning performance’ to convince the… Read more »
Winning Difficult Bail Applications
A recent Commonwealth case has provided some guidance on meeting stringent bail tests in serious cases. The applicant, a 16-year-old boy known as ‘NK’, was charged under section 102.6 of the Criminal Code Act (Cwth) with ‘funding a terrorist organisation’; an offence which carries a maximum penalty of 25 years imprisonment and triggers a “rebuttal… Read more »
Legal Aid Struggling to Help Family Violence Victims
National Legal Aid Chair Suzan Cox QC believes new domestic violence figures highlight the importance of a strong legal aid service to help those unable to afford private legal representation, especially in family law cases. “The data shows that underfunded legal aid commissions are confronting high numbers of disintegrating low-income families who are wrestling with… Read more »
Mandatory Pre-Trial Defence Disclosures: Removing Legal Protections
The Criminal Procedure Amendment (Mandatory Pre-trial Defence Disclosure) Bill was introduced by the NSW government in 2013, and passed by both houses of Parliament. It is embodied in Part 3, Division 3 of the Criminal Procedure Act (‘the Act’) which essentially requires the prosecution and defence in District or Supreme Court criminal trial proceedings to serve… Read more »
The Resurgence of Public Shaming
A man in the United States city of Liberty, Ohio has received an unusual punishment for attempting to steal a 52 inch television. Greg Davenport pleaded ‘no contest’ to the charge and was given the option between thirty days in prison and walking ten 8-hour days with a sign that says, “I am a thief-… Read more »