The public response following the recent death of George Floyd at the hands of police officer Chauvin follows the pattern of public unrest in Hong Kong. Unlawful riot What begins as a legitimate public gathering very quickly turns into an unlawful riot. Scenes in the US cannot be called a display of democratic right to […]
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Barbarian Acts Of Vandalism
When activists burn buildings and vandalise statues civil society is no longer civil and strong measures are required to restore law and order. The broader implications for society during times of unrest have been the subject of philosophers and writers for decades. In 1949 George Orwell described a Dystopian Society: “Every record has been destroyed or […]
Unreasonable Force In Police Arrest
The death of George Floyd, an African-American man in Minneapolis on the 25 May 2020, while being detained by Derek Chauvin a White police officer is nothing but tragic. Strict Legal Guidelines When Taking a Suspect Into Custody A police officer taking a person into custody must follow strict legal guidelines. In summary, police must […]
China’s Solution – Same Effect As Covid-19
The Covid-19 pandemic overnight stopped the movement of people across the World. Hong Kong implemented “social distancing” measures from about the 26th January 2020 clearing the streets of protesters. By 1st May 2020 protesters returned to the streets wearing face masks. On Thursday 28th May 2020 China’s ruling Community Party passed a new national security […]
Appearing In Court And Revising Client-Lawyer Costs
Because of social distancing, personal attendance in court for an accused and their legal representative is in issue. The Magistrate Courts seem to have left it to the legal profession to determine whether lawyers appear in court in person or by audio/visual link. The risk of coming into contact with the Coronavirus is obviously higher […]
Cardinal George Pell’s Convictions Quashed By The High Court
Cardinal George Pell will be freed from Barwon Prison today after the High Court quashed his convictions finding that: “a significant possibility that an innocent person has been convicted because the evidence did not establish guilt to the requisite standard of proof”. The High Court also took aim at the Victoria Court of Appeal which […]
COVID-19 – Intra State Travel Restrictions And Criminal Offences
We have received a number of calls from people wanting to leave Perth to go to country areas but afraid they may be stopped by authorities. In one case the caller had been removed from the place of abode in a country town three weeks ago due to an interim (72 hour) VRO. The caller […]
Seeking Criminal Offence Advice During COVID-19
If you are charged with a criminal offence do not see Covid-19 as a reason to not contact a criminal lawyer for help. After helping clients living away from Perth we have developed long- standing telephone and email protocols to deal with clients and attend to the ongoing management of a criminal matter as it […]
Covid-19 And The Potential Effects On The Criminal Justice System
Covid-19 has taken the World by storm. Overnight Victoria and South Australia declared a state of emergency and this morning so did Western Australia. In WA, Public Health Emergency powers are set out in the Emergency Management Act 2005 and Part 12 of the Health Act 2016. More particularly, under section 174(5) the Chief Health […]
Harvey Weinstein Convicted With Appeal Pending
Harvey Weinstein was convicted by a jury of two counts and acquitted on the more serious charge involving predatory behaviour. As to be expected his trial lawyers have announced that they will mount an appeal in the hope that an appeal court will agree with the defence that the evidence upon which he was convicted […]
