You often hear that emergency services personnel dread attending car accidents and informing families about fatalities. They are no joy for journalists either. You sort of become hardened after a while, but it’s never easy to write about a life being lost, especially if it was a young man speeding. Nothing can restore a young [...]
First impression of coronial inquest
I attended part of a Coroner’s inquest today for the first time. It was in relation to a newborn baby who died in October 2006 from a streptococcal infection seven hours after her birth. The mother, who went full term, had earlier tested negative to the bacteria at 39 weeks, which was why no antibiotics [...]
Letter from the police
I received a letter from the police today stating that my vehicle had been involved in a collision on or about 5pm April 19 at Kilburn. That was news to me because I was in Queensland at the time and my vehicle was locked in a long-term car park in Melbourne! The letter went on [...]
First time on the (court) bench
The resident magistrate has a worthy program in which he invites community members to sit with him on the bench. Today it was my turn. I am probably more familiar with court procedure than most of his guests, but I found it interesting to compare what happens here with what I have seen in Kalgoorlie [...]
When decades-old charges go to court
We have been following a jury trial for the past few days involving an 80-year-old man charged with sex offences which the prosecution alleged occurred 40 years ago involving his niece, who was a child at the time. The man was found not guilty. This type of trial troubles me for several reasons.
