Andrew L. Urban
In my own narrow lane of writing about wrongful convictions, the concentration of error prone judges probably seems higher than elsewhere in the legal system. But maybe not … Supreme Court judge (since 2014) Belinda Rigg SC, defied the assessments of police and the NSW Premier to permit the march across the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Sunday August 3.* It wasn’t her first misjudgement … [see Addendum] Continue reading
Andrew L. Urban
Splashed headlines, double page spreads in newspapers, podcasts at length … the pursuit of cold cases is big in mass media. Wrongful convictions … not so much (with notable exceptions). It’s as if innocents in jail don’t matter to society. Yet the friends and families of unsolved murders suffer no more than the friends and families of the wrongfully convicted – and they themselves. Continue reading
Andrew L. Urban
Once revealed, fraud at trial can overturn a conviction with a simple civil hearing. It’s not a new right, but it has lain largely dormant until now. In a game changing expose, Flinders University legal academic Dr Bob Moles has published an example of how and why. Continue reading
Andrew L. Urban
The ACT Integrity Commission’s Operation Juno is an examination of Walter Sofronoff’s actions after he was appointed under the ACT Inquiries Act to investigate whether the aborted Bruce Lehrmann trial in 2023 had been affected by political influence or interference. Sofronoff’s lawyer says Juno’s report was a product of overreach and a “serious offence against the administration of justice”, The Australian reports. Continue reading
Andrew L. Urban
Lucky girl, that Brittany Higgins …the young woman who in December 2022 was hastily paid $2.44 million in compensation by the Federal Government partly for not being able to ever work again after being allegedly raped by fellow Parliamentary staffer Bruce Lehrmann – on the balance of probabilities – has signed up with celebrity agent 22. a talent management agency. Continue reading
Andrew L. Urban
I suspect that most of our regular readers would scoff at the suggestion that Australia’s legal system is ‘good’ or ‘very good’. The view through the prism of wrongful convictions is less forgiving. But 55% of the 1000 Australians surveyed by the independent research agency, Insightfully, between May 22 and 29, 2025, do think that. Even that figure of 55% seems far too low for comfort in a country whose legal system is expected to be at the forefront on this issue. Continue reading
At 6pm ACST, Wednesday 4 June, 2025, legal academic Bob Moles will be leading a three hour class on the materials he is using for the forthcoming book False Witness: The Disgraceful Dr Manock. Continue reading
One of our readers, concerned citizen MONIQUE BERTINO-CLARKE, reflects on one of the latest decision of the High Court, which suggests it is part of a deficient system that needs to be overhauled. Continue reading
FRAMED – How The Legal System Framed Robert Xie For The Lin Family Murders (Prime KDP), by Andrew L. Urban is only the latest book exposing wrongful convictions in Australia. Some, like FRAMED, are case specific, others look at the whole system. Nobody can claim ignorance of how rotten our criminal justice system has become. And how the self-regulating legal system either doesn’t care or it is not fit for purpose. Continue reading
Speaking to a crowded room of invited guests in the middle of Sydney’s legal precinct, former Chamberlain lawyer Stuart Tipple said it’s a book that should be written, adding, “… the problem with our adversarial system is that it is not a system that pursues the truth”. Continue reading