Our client was caught trying to take MDMA into a dance party. At court he received a section 10.
Drug Offences
Conviction annulled for overseas serviceman
Our client was convicted and fined for traffic offences committed by another while he was on tour with the SAS in Afghanistan. We had the conviction annulled and the case dismissed.
Drug-dealing daughter of judge gets no conviction
Retired Victorian Supreme Court Judge George Hampel’s daughter Kristina Hampel has received no conviction after a sentencing hearing in the Victorian Magistrates Court. The Court heard that she had profited $3,800 from selling 10g of cocaine from her apartment in...
Record drug bust
Police have seized $1.5 billion worth of drugs and charged six people in Australia’s second largest drug bust on record. Three men have faced court and remain in jail while three more are due to appear on Wednesday. The haul consisted of 2.8 tonnes of drugs, including...
A bail condition banning Tinder? Gable Tostee and unreasonable bail conditions
Accused Gold Coast balcony murderer Gable Tostee has been granted bail ahead of his trial for the death of New Zealand woman Warriena Wright. His conditions include a $200,000 surety, a curfew, and a requirement, put forward by his lawyer, that he stay off Tinder. The...
Jail avoided for repeat offender
Our client was up for sentencing for a host of charges: assault occasioning actual bodily harm, severe AVO contraventions, driving while disqualified. He was a repeat violent offender, and her Honour was of the view that full time custody was the only option...
Facebook threats and intimidation – US Supreme Court to decide
The United States Supreme Court is to decide whether making threats in Facebook posts is a crime. Pennsylvania resident Anthony Ellis was convicted of threatening his estranged wife and served three years in a federal prison. In one post, he wrote: “If only I knew...
Convicted murderer Brett Cowan to challenge confession evidence on appeal
Queensland murderer Brett Cowan is appealing his conviction for the murder of Sunshine Coast schoolboy Daniel Morcombe, on the basis that his videotaped confession to an undercover police officer infringed his right to remain silent. The argument his counsel intends...
Kicked and costs – logbook offence
Our client, a truckie, was charged with entering a false logbook entry on the basis of the distance he claimed to have travelled in a particular timeframe. The prosecuting authority failed to take account of the time difference. Despite this clear defect in the charge...
Defamation trial to determine whether Gordon Wood killed Caroline Byrne
A young woman’s death, a notorious, larger than life businessman, a murder trial, a successful appeal and a conviction quashed. Now another chapter: a jury of twelve will decide the truth of the imputation that Gordon Wood murdered Caroline Byrne by throwing her from...
Charges dismissed in speeding offence – North Sydney Local Court
One of our traffic law experts, a former policeman with 13 years’ experience in highway patrol, was in his element grilling a constable during a defended hearing for a speeding offence. The constable had failed to conduct a valid speed check with the result that the...
No conviction after unsuccessful defended hearing – attempted larceny
Our client instructed us to plead not guilty to attempted larceny, after he and a mate had been caught trying to tow away an apparently abandoned trailer. At the hearing, we argued claim of right – our client had an honest belief in his legal entitlement to the...