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What is Stalking and Intimidation?

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Stalking and Intimidation is an offence under section 13 of the Crimes (Domestic and Personal Violence) Act (NSW) 2007 (the Act) to stalk or intimidate with intent to cause fear of physical or mental harm. The section states:   A person who stalks or intimidates another person with the intention of causing the other person to fear […]

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What is Larceny in NSW?

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Larceny or stealing is an offence pursuant to section 117 Crimes Act (NSW) 1900 (the Act), which states: “Whosoever commits larceny, or any indictable offence by this Act made punishable like larceny, shall, except in the cases hereinafter otherwise provided for, be liable to imprisonment for five years.” The elements of the larceny offence are: The property […]

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Common Assault

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Assault is an offence under section 61 of the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) (the Act) which state: Whosoever assaults any person, although not occasioning actual bodily harm, shall be liable to imprisonment for two year. Assault is the commission of any act that is intended to cause fear in another person or an act that […]

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Varying or setting aside property orders

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property orders

A property order made by a court can only be varied under s79A Family Law Act 1975 (Cth)(FLA) for marriages and s90SN for de facto in contested matters and under s79(1A) FLA for marriage and s90SN(2) FLA for de facto in matters by consent. Who can apply? Under s79A(1) and s90SN(2) FLA “any person affected” […]

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General Protections (Unlawful actions)

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general protections

What are general protections? The Fair work Act 2009 (Cth)(the Act) gives employees general protections, these protections intend to: – Protect workplace rights, – Protect freedom of association, – Protect from workplace discrimination, and – Protect persons who have experienced any of the above or any other unfair treatment. The Act prohibits an employer from […]

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The plea of guilty in summary offences

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summary offences

Summary offences are minor offences that are heard in the Local court. The maximum penalty for a summary offence in the local court is two years imprisonment. If the prosecution and defence agree, then some indictable offences can also be dealt with summarily. Guilty plea A plea of guilty is a matter for mitigation in […]

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Aggravating and mitigating factors in sentencing

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sentencing

When sentencing, the courts consider the aggravating and mitigating factors in the circumstances of the offence and the offender in order to reach an appropriate sentence. The prosecution bears the onus to prove aggravating factors beyond reasonable doubt and the defence bear the onus to prove mitigating factors on the balance of probabilities. Section  21A(2) […]

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Can Police force the driver/owner of a vehicle to disclose the identity of any person/s that might have been in the vehicle?

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disclosure of driver or passengers identity

In New South Wales, section 14 of Law Enforcement (Powers and Responsibilities) Act grants Police power to require disclosure of driver or passenger/s identity. The police can only exercise this power if they reasonably believe that the vehicle was used in the commission of indictable offences. Indictable offences are offences that carry a minimum sentence […]