Tag: Law, Crime and Justice
Guilty verdict: Wood facing life sentence
Gordon Wood faces a life sentence after being found guilty of murdering his girlfriend Caroline Byrne.[MORE]
Prisoner ordered to give police DNA sample
A Perth Magistrate has ordered a man accused of involvement in a drug conspiracy to give a sample of his DNA to the Australian Federal Police.[MORE]
Former HIH boss Cohen's charge dropped
The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions has dropped a charge against a former chairman of HIH insurance.[MORE]
P-plater 'was doing 198km/hr'
Police say a P-plater was caught driving at almost 200 kilometres an hour in southern New South Wales yesterday afternoon. [MORE]
Man remanded over alleged net grooming
A Sydney man accused of grooming a girl for sex over the internet has been remanded in custody. [MORE]
Man, woman charged with cyber stalking
Police in Perth have charged a man and a woman with numerous sex offences including cyber stalking.[MORE]
Teen stabbed in the groin: police
Two teenage boys have been arrested after a 15-year-old was stabbed in the groin during a fight in Sydney's south-west this morning. [MORE]
Studios sue iiNet over piracy
The film industry is taking legal action against an internet service provider to stop piracy.[MORE]
Byrne murder case: Timeline of events
Feature
Gordon Wood has been found guilty of murdering his ex-girlfriend, Sydney model Caroline Byrne, in 1995. Here is a timeline of the main events in this protracted legal case:June 8, 1995 - Twenty-four-year-old Sydney model Caroline Byrne's body found at the base of The Gap in Sydney's east.May 29, 1996 - Homicide detectives revive inquiry into her death after the state coroner said he was not satisfied it was suicide.Feb 11, 1998 - Coroner John Abernethy records an open finding into the death, saying there was not enough evidence to make a finding of suicide and although there were suspicions that "a known person was involved in the death". Oct 22, 1998 - Inquiry into the model's death is reopened.March 9, 2004 - Police complete five-year investigation into Ms Byrne's death and send a report to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).May 1, 2005 - Sixty-year-old stockbroker Rene Rivkin, the boss of Ms Byrne's boyfriend Gordon Wood, found dead after killing himself at his elderly mother's Sydney apartment.April 4, 2006 - Wood arrested in London, weeks after DPP agreed there was enough evidence to charge him with murder.May 3, 2006 - Wood arrives in Sydney after being extradited from the UK.May 4, 2006 - Wood granted bail when he appears in Sydney's Central Local Court charged with murder.July 6, 2007 - At conclusion of committal hearing, a magistrate orders Wood to stand trial for murder.July 28, 2008 - Wood's murder trial begins in the NSW Supreme Court.August 6, 2008 - Trial aborted after "misconduct" by jurors who planned a forbidden visit to The Gap.August 25, 2008 - Jury of 15 members empanelled for Wood's new trial.November 13, 2008 - Jury retires to consider its verdict, after ballot reduces their number to 12.November 21, 2008 - Jury finds Wood guilty.[MORE]
Law council backs Family Court merger plan
The Law Council of Australia has backed recommendations to revamp family law by integrating the Family Court with the Family Law Division of the Federal Magistrates Court. [MORE]
Pirates' hauls prompt fears for Aussie seafarers
Feature
The Australian Maritime Union is worried recent attacks by Somalian pirates will encourage pirates in the Indonesian shipping lanes.[MORE]
Wood verdict 13 years in the making
Feature
When Gordon Wood's trial opened in August 2008, Justice Graham Barr told the jurors he was a judge of the law, but they were judges of the facts.[MORE]
Wood found guilty of model's murder
A Sydney jury has found Gordon Wood guilty of the murder of model Caroline Byrne.[MORE]
Police pick up 10 drink drivers
Darwin police say a drink driving blitz has already found more people are drinking too much before going out on the roads. [MORE]
ICC prosecutor seeks arrest of Darfur rebels
The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has asked judges at the Hague to issue arrest warrants for three rebel commanders in Sudan's Darfur region. [MORE]
McCusker to step down as Parliamentary Inspector
Malcolm McCusker, QC, will leave his role as the Parliamentary Inspector of the Corruption and Crime Commission (CCC) when his five year contract ends in December.[MORE]
Cartel activity complaints on the rise
Australia's competition watchdog says the global financial crisis has led to a spike in the number of complaints about businesses colluding. [MORE]
Ombudsman's Taser report 'inaccurate'
A Taser supply company has rejected a report that suggests the weapon may have caused a man's death.[MORE]
Govt flags merging Federal Magistrates, Family Courts
A Commonwealth report has recommended the Federal Magistrates Court be merged with the Family Court to simplify family law matters and save money.[MORE]
Man charged with 'grooming girl for sex'
New South Wales Police have laid charges against a man who allegedly tried to groom a young girl for sex over the internet.[MORE]
Michael Jackson to front UK court
Michael Jackson plans to testify next week in a British court in a lawsuit brought against him by a Bahrain prince.[MORE]
Hijacked ship released after owner pays ransom
A Hong Kong-flagged ship hijacked two months ago off the coast of Somalia is returning home after its owner paid a ransom to a group of pirates.[MORE]
Third man jailed over $1m drug haul
The fifth man to face court over an interstate drug ring worth more than $1 million has been sentenced to three years in prison.[MORE]
Pirates demand $40m ransom for oil tanker
Somali pirates who hijacked the Saudi oil super-tanker Sirius Star are demanding $US25 million in ransom.[MORE]
Man faces court on drug trafficking charges
A St Albans man has appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates Court charged with importing drugs into Australia.[MORE]
