Andrew L. Urban
Within the space of a couple of days this week, several voices were heard in the public square ‘resurrecting’ the late Cardinal Pell, dismissing the notion that he was guilty of sexual abuse, a notion that some maintained even after the High Court’s 7-0 decision to quash that conviction. Continue reading
Malevolent shenanigans behind the scenes in the Fr Gordon MacRae case, from withholding evidence to witness tampering…It seems justice took a holiday – and hasn’t returned. Fr Gordon, now 70, has been in New Hampshire Prison for Men in Concord, USA, since he was 41. Continue reading
False allegations, a corrupt detective, flawed judicial decisions … no wonder Father Gordon MacRae’s life has been ruined, sentenced to a 67 year jail term, after refusing a one year plea deal, wishing to maintain his innocence. Continue reading
Andrew L. Urban.
Coinciding with the trial of Lisa Wilkinson and Network TEN for defamation, brought by Bruce Lehrmann who Brittany Higgins had accused of rape, I was putting the finishing touches to my manuscript, Presumption of Evil, in the final months of 2023. Topically enough, my book will reveal how Noel Greenaway was wrongfully convicted in 2019 of several historical sexual assaults from half a century ago, of then teenage girls at the Parramatta Training School for Girls – a place for troublesome teenagers. Continue reading
A man in Oklahoma who spent 48 years in prison for a murder he did not commit has been exonerated. Oklahoma county district attorney, Vicki Behenna, said prosecutors had failed to turn over new evidence in the case. That included a police report showing that a witness may have identified other suspects. Continue reading
Andrew L. Urban.
The question of the title is posed without optimism. The legal system has no proud history of reform. All three past Attorneys-General have ignored or rebuffed calls for a Criminal Cases Review Commission network in Australia. Kathleen Folbigg’s 20 wrongful years in prison is just one of many compelling reasons for the legal system to “heal thyself”. We are not the only ones calling for reform, as we report here. Continue reading
As Bruce Lehrmann’s contentious rape defamation trial of TEN and The Project’s Lisa Wilkinson enters its final week, the whole subject of sexual assault allegations and the law are in the spotlight. Continue reading
Andrew L. Urban.
On reading the story of the High Court’s refusal to grant leave to Derek Bromley’s appeal, reader Peter Gill writes: “Reminds me of this article about the High Court’s disgraceful 3-2 stuff-up in the Lindy Chamberlain High Court appeal.” He references an article about that case by Crispin Hill of the Canberra Times from 2017, leading Hill to question jury trials. Continue reading
Andrew L. Urban.
The High Court’s unexpected decision to refuse Derek Bromley leave to appeal his murder conviction yesterday drew a considered response from Flinders University legal academic Dr Bob Moles … and perhaps a way forward to another appeal. Continue reading
After a month of deliberation the NSW Appeal court has quashed Kathleen Folbigg’s convictions for three counts of murder, one count of manslaughter, and one count of maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm. She has spent 20 years in jail and has been released after a pardon in the wake of the second inquiry into her case. Continue reading