Hola JJ Students (and Westies who might still be out there), this is my blog that I have especially set up for my Year 12 students. The aim is that I can provide more detailed information that may be beyond the time contraints of a normal class time, yet the information will update and enhance the textbook to provide additional stuff.
At the the moment we are looking at the Criminal Trial Process which in particular hits the role of the court, court personel and the use of defences.
To the right of this blog I have a number of key links- the one which I commonly refer to is the Legal Information Access Centre which is run through the State Library of NSW. It has a section especially set up for NSW HSC Legal Students which includes a Crime Library (which consists of 50 important cases) and also a news blog which highlights information in the news for you. Think of it as someone summarising the news related to Legal Studies - yes they are doing it for you, for free.
There are two issues which are raised in the news blog- The purpose of the Coroner's Court and the rules of giving evidence. It is important to note that the news blog references two cases, it is however the underlying legal issue that is vital for students. The cases and stories are interesting however there is no point knowing the details of the Brimble case unless you relate it to the fact that the Coroner's court decided a different verdict to the Supreme Court. The Coroner who investigates suspucious deaths decided that a man should face charges of manslaughter and supply of drugs which led to Mrs Brimble dying. However a jury failed to find a verdict and the police dropped the manslaughter charge. The man then pleaded guilty to drug supply and the judge allowed him to walk free with no punishment.
Why - well two answers. The concept of justice is different for different people (that is the judge and the jury vs Mrs Brimble's family). Secondly a case in the criminal courts (not the Coroner's court) must be proved beyond reasonable doubt which is very difficult and the Coroner's Court does not have jurisdiction to decide guilt and punishment.
