A Guide on Your Right to Silence When Approached by Police
By Scott Feeney and Jimmy Singh. The Brazilian Military Police were ready. The raid was about to take place in the northeast of the country, in the low-income community of Vila Irma Dulce. It was Monday the 22nd of April, and while on a regular patrol of their beat, the police observed a man ...continue reading
New NSW Sentencing Penalty Introduced: The New ‘Intensive Corrections Orders’
On 24 October 2017, Parliament in NSW assented to the amending legislation which effectively changed the Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999 (NSW). As of 24 September 2018, three major new sentencing options were introduced into NSW. A Magistrate or Judge can now impose any one of these new sentencing or penalty options for traffic ...continue reading
New Sentencing Option Introduced in NSW: ‘Community Correction Orders’
Our previous blog outlined how the ‘section 10 bond’ has now replaced the new ‘conditional release order’ as a new sentencing option in NSW for criminal and traffic offences. This blog outlines a further new sentencing option called a ‘community corrections order’ which effectively replaces the old ‘section 9 bond’ and ‘community service order’ penalties, ...continue reading
The End of ‘Section 10 Bonds’ in NSW as a Sentencing Option
The Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999 (NSW) reflects the law behind all the sentencing options a Magistrates or Judges can impose on a person guilty of a NSW criminal or traffic offence. That Law has now changed and the new NSW sentencing penalties or options commence from today 24 September 2018 onwards. The popular ...continue reading
Can You Refuse to Give a DNA Sample to Police?
By Jimmy Singh and Fahim Khan Australian criminal law can be complex to understand, especially when it’s concerning police rights regarding when they can and can’t carry out intrusive tests on your body. Generally, DNA samples are considered to be more effective at solving crimes than fingerprints. DNA samples are considered to be very effective ...continue reading
Can You Refuse to Give Evidence in Court Against a Family Member?
By Jimmy Singh & Tayla Regan Imagine being compelled by the courts to give evidence against your mum, dad, brother or sister. Regardless of the court outcome, consider the kind of potential damage this can cause to the relationship. To avoid undue hardship of a witness and to protect the family unit, in some situations ...continue reading
The Law on Jaywalking and Hitchhiking
By Jimmy Singh & Tayla Regan Jaywalking is generally where you cross the road in unsafe circumstances. Arguably, crossing a road against a red pedestrian light, or where there is no light, onto oncoming traffic (within 20 meters of a crossing) do so with full appreciation of the risks (which can result in serious consequences), ...continue reading
The Law on Getting Bail When Charged by Police
By Jimmy Singh and Tayla Regan What is Bail? Where police charge you for a criminal offence, you become accused of an alleged offence. As a result, the Bail Act 2013 (NSW) is engaged, and a bail process starts. This means that, depending on the allegation or criminal charge, you will either be put into ...continue reading
The Law on Making False Accusations
By Jimmy Singh and Tayla Regan What if a neighbour or ex-partner makes very serious, untruthful claims about you to the police? What if he or she has done this with a sinister ulterior motive, resulting in a criminal charge or an AVO against you? People have made false accusations in the past for various ...continue reading
New Laws on The Right to Silence for Criminal Offences
By Jimmy Singh and Tayla Regan Say for instance you have been arrested for a crime, taken to the police station, and offered to participate in an interview with the police. Can you refuse to give an interview with police without your silence being used against you later? Can your silence amount to a consciousness ...continue reading