Many of us have received a scare email-chain story, threatening bad luck or even death to those who refuse to send the message on. The idea of a ‘pin prick’ attack, where victims were deliberately infected with needles and syringes containing HIV are relatively rare and seem to belong mainly to this world of chain… Read more »
Like father, like son is certainly not something that could be said about the Macris Family in relation to serious drug charges when they appeared in the Gosford District Court earlier this May. In 2011, the son, Alex Macris did something many people would find unimaginable – he used his own father as an unwitting… Read more »
A spent conviction basically limits the disclosure of previous criminal convictions, meaning that if you have committed a crime in the past, it will no longer show up on your criminal record and you don’t have to disclose it to anyone, either within Australia, or overseas. It will even allow you to claim on oath… Read more »
Contempt of court refers to a particular type of behaviour defined as anything which interferes with or impedes the administration of justice, or undermine the authority, dignity or performance of the court. If you have been following the trial of Hey Dad! actor Robert Hughes, being heard at the Downing Centre District Court, you may… Read more »
A 57-year-old former Blue Mountains nursing home worker has been charged with six counts of indecent assault in nursing homes. He was fired after the facility management received complaints from seven elderly women between 2011 and 2014. The Daily Telegraph reported that seven elderly women had complained about the man for offences that allegedly took… Read more »
Pleading guilty early can reduce your sentence, and the benefits of pleading guilty are much more likely to kick in the earlier that you plead. Police are often open to discussions on plea bargaining, which is where more serious charges can be dropped if you plead guilty early to lesser ones. However, one justice thinks… Read more »
In Medieval England, people were subjected to all kinds of trials to prove their innocence – one of these involved being forced to pick a stone up from the bottom of an elbow deep pot of boiling water. Guilt or innocence would be proved depending on whether, after three days, their skin remained burnt and… Read more »
The new Bail Act, passed last year, will take effect on May 20. It introduces a new way of dealing with bail. The idea is to make bail simpler, while ensuring that the community is protected from people who might pose an “unacceptable risk”, before their cases are held. Under the previous law, there was… Read more »
Working out whether or not you need a lawyer is going to depend on a lot of factors, perhaps most importantly, what is at stake. If your case is very serious, generally the earlier you get some legal advice, the better. Drug offences range in severity, and can range from a good behaviour bond or… Read more »
All Australians used to have the right to remain silent. You might even think we still do. But as of last year, words to the effect of “you have the right to remain silent” now firmly belong in the domain of a standard Hollywood crime thriller. No, it’s not quite that dramatic, and you do… Read more »
