Author Archives: andrew

Australian democracy not always by the ‘rule of law’

Posted on March 25, 2018 by andrew

By Andrew L. Urban In the context of the immigration debate Australia’s Prime Minister (and lawyer of renown), recently extolled the virtues of Australian democracy and its adherence to the ‘rule of law principles’, yet “the criminal appeal system in … Continue reading →

Posted in General articles | 2 Comments

Sue Neill-Fraser prosecutor Ellis replies to journalist

Posted on March 17, 2018 by andrew

Andrew L. Urban Tim Ellis SC, then Tasmania’s DPP and the man who prosecuted Sue Neill-Fraser in 2010 for murder, addressed several aspects of his prosecution – in public. It’s rare that a prosecutor speaks in detail publicly about one … Continue reading →

Posted in Case 01 Sue Neill-Fraser | 7 Comments

Sue Neill-Fraser: winds of change favour Four Winds

Posted on March 11, 2018 by andrew

By Andrew L. Urban A sensational late summer day in Hobart on Wednesday, March 7, 2018 – which I spent on a yacht on the Derwent thanks to my brother and sister in law – can in hindsight be seen … Continue reading →

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Sue Neill-Fraser – latest appeal hearing dates (March 2018)

Posted on February 28, 2018 by andrew

By Andrew L. Urban Delays for a variety of reasons have stretched the time-line in the latest Sue Neill-Fraser appeal, since the first directions hearing, which was almost exactly a year after the relevant legislation was passed, two and a … Continue reading →

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‘Learned friends’ learn little from errors

Posted on February 26, 2018 by andrew

Andrew L. Urban What went wrong? That’s the question that the criminal justice system does not often ask and therefore doesn’t answer when wrongful convictions are revealed.   Prevention is so much better than cure, especially in a legal system … Continue reading →

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Survivors Guide to Prison – a movie as a movement

Posted on February 19, 2018 by andrew

By Andrew L. Urban. American filmmaker Matthew Cooke says of his 2018 film Survivors Guide to Prison: “This is not just a film, but also a movement. We hope to swing the pendulum on legislation. We want prison reform, specifically … Continue reading →

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The costs of injustice

Posted on February 18, 2018 by andrew

By Andrew L. Urban She is wheeled into the clinical surrounds of the Supreme Court in Hobart in a wheelchair and positioned in front of the empty jury benches, facing the witness box. Sue Neill-Fraser’s demeanour is low key, her … Continue reading →

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Gordon Wood – convicted of murder in 2008, acquitted in 2012, suing the State in 2017/18

Posted on February 17, 2018 by andrew

By Andrew L. Urban. Gordon Wood is suing the State of NSW and the DPP for malicious prosecution. The trial was held in March 2017, before Justice Elizabeth Fullerton. Judgement is still awaited at time of writing (February 17, 2018) … Continue reading →

Posted in Case 04 Gordon Wood | 3 Comments

Lloyd Rayney & how tunnel vision blinds police

Posted on January 31, 2018 by andrew

By Andrew L. Urban The WA police defamed an innocent man by publicly naming him soon after starting their investigation as the only suspect in his wife’s murder. He was eventually (three years later) charged, tried and acquitted. Twice. He … Continue reading →

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Bare faced lawyers: confessions of the legal profession

Posted on January 13, 2018 by andrew

Innocent people – at least 71 known*, the total unknowable – have been held or are stuck in Australian jails on lengthy sentences for murders or rapes they did not commit. This comes as no surprise to those who, like … Continue reading →

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