Author adminPosted on Categories Criminal law 3 Comments on Chris Dawson refused High Court leave to appeal for a permanent stay
Former high school teacher and rugby league player Chris Dawson yesterday was refused leave to appeal against the NSW Court of Appeal’s refusal to grant a permanent stay of his murder charge.
Dawson is accused of having murdered his wife Lynette Dawson 40 years ago. Lynette, 33, disappeared from their Bayview home on Sydney’s northern beaches in January 1982, leaving behind their two young daughters Shanelle and Sherryn, then aged four and two.
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Author adminPosted on Categories Criminal law 6 Comments on Jussie Smollett found guilty of fake race hate crime hoax
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American actor Jussie Smollett has been found guilty by a jury of faking a hate crime against himself.
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Author adminPosted on Categories Criminal law 4 Comments on Recalling the infamous “Order me a f*&4ing pizza while you’re at it” incident
Background
David Allan Baker had been charged with attempted murder and had sacked his barrister and solicitors on an earlier occasion when his trial came on for hearing.
Baker’s trial was set to commence before Justice Martin Daubney on 4 June 2012, but the day before he again sacked his legal representatives and the matter came on before the court on an application by his second set of legal representatives for leave to withdraw after he had dispensed with their services. Continue reading “Recalling the infamous “Order me a f*&%ing pizza while you’re at it” incident”
Author adminPosted on Categories Criminal law 2 Comments on Neil Andrew Pentland found not guilty of murder of Philip Carlyle After a lengthy judge-only trial, Pentland was acquitted.
In 1996, Neil Pentland and his wife Dianne set up a company called ATNET Pty Ltd. Pentland was a director and the secretary of the company. The shares were held by him and his wife. The initial operation of the company involved assisting clients to set up email accounts and with basic internet functions. Mr Carlyle was employed by the company as its marketing manager from late 1996. He was not a shareholder but there was an agreement which would have allowed him to buy 30% of the company’s shares for $30,000 at a later time.
Philip Carlyle was murdered on 13 April 1997. He had been lured, or coerced, into a small, sound-proofed plant room in an office building at Robina. He was then shot in the head and neck with four .32 calibre steel jacket bullets. The weapon used to kill Mr Carlyle has never been found.
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Author adminPosted on Categories Criminal law, Human rights 2 Comments on Why you shouldn’t talk to the police
Outside of the legal realm, telling your side of the story at the earliest opportunity may be often a good idea. But in legal matters, things work very differently. In many situations, saying less is better than saying more, and saying nothing at all is better than saying anything.
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Author adminPosted on Categories Criminal law 5 Comments on George Pell convictions quashed on appeal to High Court Today, the High Court has allowed former Cardinal George Pell’s appeal against his convictions.
In December 2018, controversial Catholic Church Cardinal George Pell was convicted by a jury of one count of sexual penetration of a child under the age of 16 and four counts of an indecent act with a child under the age of 16 over allegations of abusing choirboys at Melbourne’s St Patrick’s Cathedral in the 1990s. This followed a previous trial that had resulted in a hung jury.
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Author adminPosted on Categories Criminal law 2 Comments on No discount for dangerous death-causing drug driver Connie-Lee Rose Williams has been refused leave to appeal against her sentence for one count of dangerous operation of a vehicle, causing death whilst adversely affected by an intoxicating substance and excessively speeding.
On 20 September 2017, Connie-Lee Rose Williams drove a motor vehicle on the Bruce Highway, north of Gin Gin which left the road and impacted at high speed with a culvert, and subsequently a tree. Her husband and her five year old son were both ejected from the vehicle and lost their lives. Neither wore seatbelts.
An investigation of the collision established that the motor vehicle had failed to negotiate a sweeping curve and left the road at a minimum speed of 171 kilometres per hour. Continue reading “No discount for dangerous death-causing drug driver”
Author adminPosted on Categories Criminal law 5 Comments on Paul Pisasale loses extortion convictions appeal Former Ipswich Lord Mayor Paul Pisasale and two co-defendants have unsuccessfully appealed their convictions over a bizarre extortion plot.
Yutian Li, a Chinese woman working as an escort in Australia formed a relationship with the complainant in early 2016. The complainant led her to believe they would marry and enjoy a life together in Australia. Later that year he told her he had a terminal illness and did not want her to go through the resultant suffering of continuing their relationship. When she arrived unannounced in Sydney, intending to look after him, she discovered that he was already married and had a child, he did not have a terminal illness, and he did not wish to marry her. Continue reading “Paul Pisasale loses extortion convictions appeal”
Author adminPosted on Categories Criminal law, Human rights 2 Comments on District Court permanently stays Volkers prosecution The District Court has decided to not allow charges of indecent dealing to proceed due to the long history and unreasonable delays in the matter.
On 26 March 2002, Scott Volkers was arrested in relation to alleged indecently dealing of a 12 year old female swimmer in 1987.
On 16 June 2002, Volkers was charged with indecently dealing of a 13 year old female swimmer in 1984 and 1985.
On 25 July 2002, he was committed to stand trial on seven counts of indecent dealing involving the two complainants. Continue reading “District Court permanently stays Volkers prosecution”
Author adminPosted on Categories Criminal law, Judiciary, Legal profession, Professional discipline Leave a comment on Former Magistrate Bill Randall struck off for child sex abuse William ‘Uncle Bill’ Randall has been struck off as a lawyer following his convictions for numerous child sex offences.
William John Randall was admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of Queensland on 9 June 1981. He never practised as a solicitor, and never held a practising certificate. He was however appointed a Magistrate in 1985 and served for a long time in the small claims tribunal until his retirement in 2016.
On 21 November 2017 he was convicted by a jury of a range of serious sexual offences committed against a child. The child was just five when the abuse started in 1990 at Randall’s home at Wynnum, on Brisbane’s bayside. It continued for almost 12 years, and the victim was 30 before he finally gathered the courage to tell police. Randall was initially sentenced to 9 years imprisonment but on appeal this was increased to 11 years imprisonment. He continued to deny his offending throughout and never showed any remorse. Continue reading “Former Magistrate Bill Randall struck off for child sex abuse”
