Category Archives: Australian law

Senior Queensland judge criticises ‘glacial’ years-long delays in serious criminal trials

Posted on by

Exclusive: Justice Jim Henry published data from his own court revealing recent cases took more than a year to reach committal

A Queensland supreme court judge says serious criminal cases are taking “excruciatingly longer” to finalise due to “glacial” delays in the state’s magistrates court, where some matters are spending several years in procedural limbo.

Justice Jim Henry, who is based at the supreme court in Cairns, published data from his own court revealing that of 31 recent criminal cases he finalised between November and February, on average each case took more than a year (370 days) in the lower courts before a committal.

Continue reading...

Australia’s high court orders ankle bracelets be removed and curfews end for 43 former immigration detainees

Posted on by

Labor’s preventative detention regime suffers blow as court finds tough laws for NZYQ group are unconstitutional

Dozens of former immigration detainees who have already served prison sentences will have ankle bracelets removed and curfews scrapped, with the high court again striking down laws targeting the group.

On Wednesday, the Albanese government’s preventative detention regime suffered another blow as the court ruled the tough laws to deal with the NZYQ cohort were unconstitutional.

Continue reading...

Sentence extended but no jail for NT hit-and-run driver Jake Danby who called victims ‘oxygen thieves’

Posted on by

Jake Danby’s sentence for hitting two Aboriginal men with his car, killing one, was extended from five months to two years in home detention

The family of an Aboriginal man fatally run down before the driver bragged about his death are angry and heartbroken after their brother’s killer has again avoided jail on appeal.

In June 2024, Jake Danby hit two Aboriginal men with his car on a Darwin street, killing one and injuring the other.

Continue reading...

Virginia Giuffre’s sons deny unsigned document is their mother’s will

Posted on by

After Jeffrey Epstein abuse victim died intestate, sons reject claim that documents presented by her lawyer and carer represent her final intentions

An unsigned will has emerged as the crux of the battle over the estate of Virginia Giuffre, one of the most prominent victims of disgraced US financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Details of the document surfaced on Friday as hearings began in Western Australia’s supreme court, where her sons, her longtime lawyer and her former carer are all vying for control of the assets.

Continue reading...

Sydney restaurant Cairo Takeaway counter-sues pro-Israel activist, claiming he trespassed to ‘ambush’ staff

Posted on by

The Newtown eatery is counter-suing Ofir Birenbaum, who launched defamation action against the popular restaurant

An Egyptian restaurant in Sydney is counter-suing a pro-Israel activist over a News Corp stunt, alleging he trespassed on the popular eatery in a bid to get a “negative reaction” from staff.

Ofir Birenbaum went to Cairo Takeaway, a popular restaurant in Sydney’s Newtown, in February wearing a Star of David cap and necklace alongside reporters from the Daily Telegraph. The undercover operation, later revealed to be dubbed “undercover Jew” internally by the paper, made international headlines after it backfired.

Continue reading...