Author Archives: andrew

Meaghan Vass was on the yacht, Sue Neill-Fraser was not. OK?

Andrew L. Urban  I just have to share this with readers who may have missed it. In recent weeks, a number of comments have turned up on previous stories about the Sue Neill-Fraser case. It’s been 16 years since the … Continue reading

Posted in Case 01 Sue Neill-Fraser | 30 Comments

A high profile bar for bail?

Writing from bitter personal experience after spending 1,400 days on remand, STEVEN FENNELL explains why he should have received bail, especially given the High Court’s indignant, virtually instant quashing of his conviction. Perhaps he wasn’t sufficiently high profile – like … Continue reading

Posted in Case 10 Steven Fennell | 7 Comments

Crimen exceptum – sex crime allegations a challenge for justice and society

Andrew L. Urban Dealing with tendency evidence in my book Presumption of Evil about the Noel Greenaway conviction (arguably wrongful) for historical sexual abuse, I refer to another man who was convicted of sexual abuse on tendency evidence. He and … Continue reading

Posted in Case 22 Noel Greenaway, Case 26 Frank Valentine | 2 Comments

Ben Roberts-Smith & Justice Besanko at a fork in the road

Andrew L. Urban  Roberts-Smith’s central position in evidence at the 2003 defamation trial was that the newspaper allegations were false and that all killings he was involved in were lawful engagements with insurgents during combat operations in Afghanistan. He denied … Continue reading

Posted in General articles | 4 Comments

Special Forces Operator Scott Jones: The Truth About Ben Roberts-Smith – the transcript

Hosted by Sam Bamford, a former Australian Army infantry paratrooper and combat veteran with a deployment to Afghanistan in 2012, the 2 Worlds Collide Podcast has evolved into one of Australia’s most outspoken independent platforms. In this must-see episode, Special Forces … Continue reading

Posted in General articles | 2 Comments

Prosecutors at top of wish-list to minimise wrongful convictions

Andrew L. Urban  Wielding more power than judges and enjoying professional immunity, some Crown prosecutors fail to act in accordance with the responsibilities that come with that power. Any attempt to improve the legal system should start by enforcing the … Continue reading

Posted in Case 01 Sue Neill-Fraser, General articles | 2 Comments

Special Forces Operator Scott Jones: The Truth About Ben Roberts-Smith

Hosted by Sam Bamford, a former Australian Army infantry paratrooper and combat veteran with a deployment to Afghanistan in 2012, the 2 Worlds Collide Podcast has evolved into one of Australia’s most outspoken independent platforms. In this must-see episode, Special … Continue reading

Posted in General articles | 4 Comments

The Crown’s catastrophic non-disclosure in Derek Bromley case

The incoming DPP in  South Australia (to be appointed shortly) will inherit the scandalous miscarriage of justice perpetrated – repeatedly – by the Crown itself. In his tireless fight for Derek Bromley, wrongfully convicted but officially a murderer thanks to … Continue reading

Posted in Case 05 Derek Bromley | 8 Comments

A devil’s dilemma for Ben Roberts-Smith: trial or stay

Andrew L. Urban  Risk a prejudice-tainted guilty verdict or apply for a permanent stay of proceedings due to prejudicial publicity. These are his only (lose-lose) options. It is a devil’s dilemma. 

Posted in General articles | 6 Comments

Australia’s criminal courts have become a financial meat grinder for the average citizen; a personal account

It’s not enough to be innocent of the charges … In this frank and fascinating personal two-part account, Steven Fennell, who fought relentlessly to have his wrongful murder conviction overturned, lays out the brutal reality of a legal system in … Continue reading

Posted in Case 10 Steven Fennell, Case 11 Robert Xie, Case 17 Kathleen Folbigg, Case 18 Bruce Lehrmann | 4 Comments