Courts
Hiker sent final message to mum before dying with friend from exposure
Two university students found dead near Mount Bogong likely became disorientated in severe weather after taking on a hike they were inexperienced for, according to a coroner.
- Katie Bice
Latest
Sex crimes inquiry into Joshua Brown nets third accused child rapist
The same police investigating the alleged childcare paedophile have now charged a third person with nearly 200 sex crimes against children and animals.
- Erin Pearson
- Updated
- Victoria
Former pilot Greg Lynn led to cells in hiking shoes after bail bid fails
As Lynn was told he will remain behind bars as he awaits a retrial for the murder of Carol Clay in Victoria’s High Country, he kept his gaze fixed firmly on the floor.
- Erin Pearson
Kilkenny urged to axe privacy protections for high-profile Victorians
“It is very, very difficult to distinguish legitimate cases and cases where they are just trying it on,” one legal expert said.
- Chip Le Grand and Erin Pearson
- Opinion
- Opinion
I’m a retired Supreme Court judge. Tom Silvagni should not have been prosecuted in secret
In April 2008, I jokingly referred to myself as the “Queen of Suppression Orders” when explaining to a jury why I had banned a show that had been about to air on the Seven network.
- Betty King
‘Community battle of Shakespearean proportions’: Dog killer’s sentence reduced after vigilante campaign
In a leafy suburb in Melbourne’s east that a court has banned us from naming, a neighbourhood spat started by the bashing of a dog has escalated into warfare.
- Erin Pearson
‘It’s wrong’: Former judge says mental health suppression orders threaten court system
Victoria’s Attorney-General says the state is working to balance transparency and fairness in the courts, while a former judge says mental health suppression orders are the system’s biggest worry.
- Cassandra Morgan and Chip Le Grand
Case closed: Growing hostility between media, judiciary impacting open justice
Court reporters have gone from being an indispensable part of an open justice system to the enemy of judges, a report has found, and it’s a serious problem for transparency.
- Chip Le Grand
- Opinion
- Press freedom
‘Everybody hates you every single day’: Why the Silvagni case is the tip of the iceberg
Suppression orders to protect the mental health of rapists is just the beginning. The courts have become unfriendly to the public, which is no good for any of us.
- Michael Bachelard
Police, firefighters join call for review of assault loophole
Premier Jacinta Allan conceded further reform could be needed and that the outcome in this case was concerning.
- Rachel Eddie and Grant McArthur