Author Archives: andrew

Kidnapping adds mystery twist to much delayed murder conviction

Posted on August 9, 2026 by andrew

Andrew L. Urban It took 16 years to put Paul Charlton before a jury for the murder of his girlfriend, Joanne Howell. Just before the trial, he was kidnapped, taken into the bush, bashed and warned to plead guilty. The … Continue reading →

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Built to fail? NACC: the integrity body undermined from the start

Posted on August 7, 2026 by andrew

In April 2026, Nick Feik, Michelle Fahy and Elizabeth Minter published the results of their investigation into the National Anti-Corruption Commission in The Point.* and find that the NACC’s three current deputy commissioners as a group represent the least qualified … Continue reading →

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Believe all women vs trust but verify

Posted on August 6, 2026 by andrew

Writing in her substack column, BETTINA ARNDT reports on the damage to men falsely accused of rape by women, often as revenge, weaponising a legal system biased in their favour – and the devastating impact on the men’s lives.

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Chips with everything, rape included?

Posted on August 1, 2026 by andrew

“After everything she said that is done to her in that room, Mr Barrientos rings room service to ask for a burger and she asked for chips to go,” said her lawyer David Edwardson. “A request made by her to … Continue reading →

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Nurses’ ‘kill video’ in court: press play, says Supreme Court

Posted on August 1, 2026 by andrew

After a district court judge’s decision to exclude from evidence a video of two Sydney nurses allegedly threatening to kill Israeli patients has been overturned by the Supreme Court ahead of their trial, reports The Australian’s Bimini Plesser. 

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Tendency as tendentious evidence

Posted on July 27, 2026 by andrew

Andrew L. Urban Our reader Peter writes in a Letter to the Editor: “In Australia there has been a call for the establishment of a judicial review board. There are perhaps hundreds of convictions of people [convicted] with a complete lack … Continue reading →

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From the archives: the Countess vs Tasmanian Establishment

Posted on July 26, 2026 by andrew

Andrew L. Urban “The Tasmanian establishment :–the courts, lawyers and Police are totally corrupt,” wrote Countess Antonia Scrivanich in a comment on our March 13, 2022, article Is Australia fair dinkum about wrongful convictions? 

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Wrongful convictions offend democracy

Posted on July 20, 2026 by andrew

Andrew L. Urban  ‘If it’s justice you want, go to divinity school.’ a Harvard law professor once snapped at a law student, as legend has it. It may be the best short lesson the student learnt on the way to … Continue reading →

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From the Archives: Robert Xie, murderous uncle?

Posted on July 17, 2026 by andrew

Andrew L. Urban On this the 17th anniversary of the brutal murder of five members of the Lin family in Sydney’s Epping, we revisit what – after years of scrutiny – we* have determined to be the 2017 wrongful conviction … Continue reading →

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Parole plea for Keli Lane

Posted on July 15, 2026 by andrew

NSW Premier Chris Minns is urged to allow parole for Keli Lane, according to Anthony Dowsley’s exclusive report in The Daily Telegraph. 

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