Legal Aid NSW Criminal Law Division

The Aboriginal Service Branch (ASB) has put together a new podcast episode called ‘Your Honour, it’s a cultural thing! Black Letter Lore: Representing Mob with Culture in Mind.’ In this podcast, Director, Kim Hamer, Senior Solicitor Taylah Gray, and Senior Project Officer, Kyle Burgess, unpack the best practices for culturally appropriate representation, the role of Aboriginal Field Officers, and the importance of understanding Indigenous kinship, language, and cultural obligations.

Paul and Caitlin discuss the High Court’s decision on judicial immunity, the common-law offence of escape, a new case on 22C of the Bail Act, mental health diversion for Commonwealth offences, and the extent of a Children’s Court sentencing powers in the following cases: 1. Queensland v Mr Stradford (a pseudonym) [2025] HCA 3 [https://jade.io/article/1116000?at.hl=vasta+2025]  2. Elali v R [2025] NSWCCA 9 [https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.caselaw.nsw.gov.au/decision/19502cca376a442d7e29d859__;!!DlDNkMLzYnLl!I9bNEV1WyIvexrYXzJB_6_paRbSvhFVtdJUaNnlpRFGnGt5C26JNJi73n-9y5ZgMchwdadgIAiuZUMqqjmTq-OozD9xCY8Ma4HRN9Z_hs4fF$] 3. R v JS [2025] NSWSC 116 [https://www.caselaw.nsw.gov.au/decision/195443e482668a949c6939c5]  4. R v Skapik [2025] NSWCCA 19 [https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.caselaw.nsw.gov.au/decision/195268821a620503f4747b03__;!!DlDNkMLzYnLl!I9bNEV1WyIvexrYXzJB_6_paRbSvhFVtdJUaNnlpRFGnGt5C26JNJi73n-9y5ZgMchwdadgIAiuZUMqqjmTq-OozD9xCY8Ma4HRN9aphe6VP$] 5. PD v Director of Public Prosecutions (NSW) [2025] NSWSC 16 [https://www.caselaw.nsw.gov.au/decision/194d41480ed55c1fe312a428]

In this episode Sophie and Paul chat with Raelene Sharp KC, about her first year at the CDPP, what solicitors can expect if they work at the CDPP, and 5 Commonwealth cases. * Director of Public Prosecutions (Cth) v Kola [2024] HCA 14 (17 April 2024) [https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/cases/cth/HCA/2024/14.html__;!!DlDNkMLzYnLl!OB0qwK37WjMgVYZbxowIP36aJzW8uoQzeIehOJ85-evf7ZIK3Ubfm70u1EKCkWFS91NZ2YVQfbUVvw2Gom9Dh6lNIVdl1aYgQHhZqzQT$] * R v Munro [2024] QCA 136 (30 July 2024) [https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/cases/qld/QCA/2024/136.html?context=1;query=munro;mask_path=au*cases*qld*QCA__;Ly8v!!DlDNkMLzYnLl!OB0qwK37WjMgVYZbxowIP36aJzW8uoQzeIehOJ85-evf7ZIK3Ubfm70u1EKCkWFS91NZ2YVQfbUVvw2Gom9Dh6lNIVdl1aYgQDcjHPfX$] * Hurt v The King; Hurt v The King; Delzotto v The King [2024] HCA 8 (13 March 2024) [https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/cases/cth/HCA/2024/8.html?context=1;query=delzotto;mask_path=au*cases*cth*HCA__;Ly8v!!DlDNkMLzYnLl!OB0qwK37WjMgVYZbxowIP36aJzW8uoQzeIehOJ85-evf7ZIK3Ubfm70u1EKCkWFS91NZ2YVQfbUVvw2Gom9Dh6lNIVdl1aYgQHI5gsB9$] * McGregor v R [2024] NSWCCA 200 [https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.caselaw.nsw.gov.au/decision/192d663fc2fc32acc96dbfa0__;!!DlDNkMLzYnLl!OB0qwK37WjMgVYZbxowIP36aJzW8uoQzeIehOJ85-evf7ZIK3Ubfm70u1EKCkWFS91NZ2YVQfbUVvw2Gom9Dh6lNIVdl1aYgQACC6YAr$] * The King v Hatahet [2024] HCA 23 (12 June 2024) [https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/cases/cth/HCA/2024/23.html?context=1;query=hatahet;mask_path=au*cases*cth*HCA__;Ly8v!!DlDNkMLzYnLl!OB0qwK37WjMgVYZbxowIP36aJzW8uoQzeIehOJ85-evf7ZIK3Ubfm70u1EKCkWFS91NZ2YVQfbUVvw2Gom9Dh6lNIVdl1aYgQMyLkdD2$]

Sophie and Caitlin discuss coercive control, extending AVOs in order to revoke them, the Liberato direction and the assessment of objective seriousness on sentence in the following cases: 1. Pickford & Pickford [2024] FedCFamC1A 249 [https://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/cases/cth/FedCFamC1A/2024/249.html] 2. Elahmad v R [2024] NSWCCA 250 [https://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/cases/nsw/NSWCCA/2024/250.html] 3. Commissioner of NSW Police v Murphy [2024] NSWCA 311 [https://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/cases/nsw/NSWCA/2024/311.html] 4. Evans v R; Evans v R [2024] NSWCCA 245 [https://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/cases/nsw/NSWCCA/2024/245.html] 5. JL v R [2024] NSWCCA 246 [https://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/cases/nsw/NSWCCA/2024/246.html]

In this episode, Paul, Caitlin and Sophie have met on Gadigal land to discuss the following cases: * DPP v Smith [2024] HCA 32 [https://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/cases/cth/HCA/2024/32.html] * BQ v R [2024] HCA 29 [https://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/cases/cth/HCA/2024/29.html] * R v Fisher [2024] NSWCCA 191 [https://www.caselaw.nsw.gov.au/decision/1929db20f32a50a94f71ec97] * Barker v R [2024] NSWCCA 227 [https://www.caselaw.nsw.gov.au/decision/1938fbc00fa38c0ffbbf6375] * KL [2024] NSWSC 1334 [https://www.caselaw.nsw.gov.au/decision/192b60c1b7763750a5b4f825]