Criminal law: October 2024

Criminal cases exploring the controversial direct speech issue in NSW and whether a gambling disorder mitigates sentencing. By THOMAS SPOHR.

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Meatball lawyering: how duty lawyers are first responders

New research urges us to rethink what it means to be a duty lawyer and suggests this could address many issues in criminal justice.

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Criminal law: August 2024

The NSWCCA considers witness credibility arguments in child sex matters and unusual liability in joint criminal enterprise. By THOMAS SPOHR.

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Criminal law: July 2024

The NSWCCA considers the ‘common humanity’ test and consideration of Form 1 offences in sentencing. By THOMAS SPOHR.

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From panic to policy: the state of criminal law reform

Criminal law policy is being made in a more haphazard and less effective manner than before. This article is an attempt to examine why.

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Understanding the new rules for children in sexual offence proceedings

The new provisions are designed to help children give their best evidence and implement an alternative trial format, creating novel challenges for trial lawyers.

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Criminal law: May 2024

The courts consider unlawful arrests for breach of bail conditions, and the relationship between extended joint criminal enterprise and ‘in company’. By THOMAS SPOHR.

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Advising clients charged under the new coercive control legislation

Criminalisation of coercive control takes offending beyond the narrow scope of violence linked to physical acts alone.

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Criminal law: April 2024

Reporting and analysis of the most recent notable decisions of the NSWSC and NSWCCA. By THOMAS SPOHR.

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Doli incapax and expert opinion evidence

The Court of Criminal Appeal has restricted the admissibility of certain expert evidence as to doli incapax in criminal cases involving children under 14.

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