Crime

When most people picture “sentencing”, they picture prison. In Queensland, though, courts have a wider toolkit. Depending on the offence and the person being sentenced, the law allows a range of community-based orders and diversion options that focus on rehabilitation, accountability and public safety – often without actual jail. Below is a practical guide to […]

When a court sentences someone for a crime, you’d usually expect the judge or magistrate to have a fair bit of leeway. They look at the crime’s seriousness, the person’s situation, and then decide on a penalty. That is, of course, the typical situation. But it’s not the only situation. Sometimes, the Court has limited

In some sense, politics, through its ability to legislate, is always responsible for both the formation of the rights of any accused person, and also the occasional removal of those rights. The title of this article, however, points specifically to a recent development that places a material fetter upon the ability of certain accused to

A committal hearing is a critical gatekeeper for ensuring that charges of a serious nature do not proceed to a full trial unless there is sufficient evidence on which someone accused could actually be convicted. Below, we discuss what a committal hearing is, the different ways of approaching it, and what to expect along the

Writing a character reference might seem daunting at first, but it’s an incredibly valuable way to support someone in legal proceedings. Whether it’s for a friend, an employee, or someone you’ve mentored, a well-written character reference can help paint a fuller, more positive picture of the person beyond the charges they’re facing. This guide will

We’re pretty sure you’ve seen it in movies, or perhaps in a news broadcast, but have you ever wondered what you personally would do if the police rocked up at your door with a search warrant? It’s something most of us don’t think about until it happens. But, as they say, proper planning prevents poor

Imagine this scenario for a minute. You are charged with the offence of “coercive control” in Queensland. To defend that charge, you engage criminal lawyers who diligently pursue your defence. Despite the evidence in support of the charge being quite weak, you are forced to prepare for a trial in your defence. On the day

In our coverage of the upcoming Coercive Control laws in Queensland we have looked at the new offence generally and taken something of a sweep through the potential aspects of domestic violence (as defined only for the purposes of this particular offence). One area the legislation is designed to deal with is the idea of