When Guilty Doesn’t Mean the End: The Complexities of Appealing Jury Verdicts
Not The End of The Matter: Appealing Guilty Verdicts In Jury Trials The devastation experienced by an accused person, along with their family and friends, following a jury’s guilty verdict—often leading to the revocation of bail and incarceration—does not mark the end of the road for those accused of a serious offence. This article explores […]
Eroding Safeguards: The Diminishing Role of Reasonable Suspicion in NSW
Reasonable Suspicion in NSW and the Implications of its Erosion In NSW, the concept of “reasonable suspicion” plays a crucial role in regulating police powers and protecting individual rights. The principle is designed to ensure that police actions, particularly searches and detentions, are based on objective criteria rather than arbitrary decisions. The case of R […]
Juror Misconduct: The Hidden Threat to Fair Trials and the Cost of Justice in NSW
What is Juror Misconduct? If jurors engage in behaviour that violates their duties, such as independent investigation, inappropriate communication, or exposure to prejudicial information, a mistrial may be warranted. Recent figures indicate that running a trial in NSW costs approximately A$8,000 per day. The Sheriff’s Office estimates that two to three mistrials occur each month […]
New Bail Laws Tighten on Domestic Violence Offenders
New Bail laws targeting Domestic Violence accused On 1 July 2024 changes to the Bail Act 2013 aimed at making it harder for persons accused of serious domestic violence offences to be released on bail came into force in New South Wales. Serious domestic violence offences, for the purposes of these changes, include strangulation with […]
“Coercive Control”
NSW introduces new offence of ‘Abusive behaviour towards current or former intimate partners’ On 1 July 2024, a new offence of ‘abusive behaviour towards current or former intimate partners’ became law in NSW under section 54D of the Crimes Act 1900. The offence only applies to persons over the age of 18 years at the […]
