Recently took place when the Attorney General, Cameron Dick introduced legislation into State Parliament paving the way for significant reforms to the criminal and civil justice system.  

Peter Saggers, Accredited Criminal Law Specialist recently assisted in presenting a seminar.  

Topics discussed included; 

·        Preparation of criminal trials including defences;

·        Understanding what it means to maintain reasonable standards of confidence and diligence in relation to the conduct of a   criminal case;

·        Knowing what should be included in a full proof of evidence;

·        Obtaining proper and detailed instructions from your client;

·        Being aware of proper defences;

·        Meeting ethical duties in relation to criminal cases

Two years of stress slipped away when an Ipswich lady walked away from a District Court Trial a free and vindicated woman when the Director of Public Prosecutions finally conceded [3 hours into the first day of her trial] that the large Fraud case against her could not be established. Our client was very grateful to our Inala office.

You will go to jail if conducting a business selling drugs. Court of Appeal cases support actual jail even for those first time offenders carrying on a small business in the supply of cannabis.  Actual jail may be avoided only in exceptional circumstances as shown by our Inala office recently when Michael Cridland represented a young first time offender caught ‘red-handed‘.

Mark Howden of Howden Saggers Lawyers acted for a Taiwanese national who was seduced by a Cameroon drug trafficker in Taiwan. She was unaware of his illegal activities and was convinced to travel to Peru to collect some precious stones to take to Australia on behalf of her “boyfriend”. Unknown to her, she received items containing cocaine and then brought those items to Australia. She was arrested at the airport and charged with a very serious offence of importing illegal drugs.

Following a two week trial in the Supreme Court at Brisbane, a jury found our client not guilty.

Peter Saggers appeared as a guest of the Queensland Bar Association in a Criminal Law Hypothetical at the 2010 Queensland Bar Association Conference on the Gold Coast last weekend. 

The topic for discussion was the changes to be made to the Criminal jurisdiction as a result of Justice Moynihan’s report.

Major changes are planned for the Queensland Courts with more matters to be dealt with in the Magistrates Court.  

If you have any questions regarding an appearance in the Queensland justice system, please contact Howden Saggers Lawyers on 1800 CRIME1.

Mephedrone is sold over the counter in the United Kingdom and is used as a plant fertilizer. Recently people in Australia have been charged with its importation. The drug itself does not feature in the criminal law however the Australian Federal Police consider it to be illegal and it may prove to be a derivative of another illegal drug. It will no doubt be only a matter of time before Parliament legislates to specifically make Mephedrone illegal.

Clem 7 Tunnel from Woolloongabba to Bowen Hills is due to open in early March 2010. We understand that a speed camera will be fixed in the tunnel. Two new speed cameras will also be located on the Pacific Motorway at Loganholme and also on the Gateway Arterial Road at Nudgee. If you are caught speeding and you are on a good behavior licence you may be entitled to a special hardship order enabling you to drive for work.

Our client was a delivery van driver and his licence was disqualified for 12 months after he tried to avoid a random breath test on New Years Eve. He drove away against the flow of traffic and was pursued by police. Fortunately no damage was caused. An Appeal in the District Court was successful and the disqualification period was reduced to 6 months. This will enable our client to resume work 6 months earlier than he had otherwise anticipated.

Welcome to the first Howden Saggers Lawyers blog of 2010. This year we will keep you updated about what is happening in the firm and discuss topics of interest in Criminal Law in Queensland.  

Over the Christmas break, we had a number of enquiries about applying for a work licence.  

Top 3 Work Licence Tips 

1.      You cannot apply for a work licence if you are subject to Court imposed disqualification in Queensland or another State.

2.      You cannot apply for a work licence if your reading is 0.15 or more.

3.      You cannot apply for a work licence if your licence has been disqualified or suspended in certain circumstances during the previous 5 years.  

Please feel free to contact Peter Saggers of Howden Saggers Lawyers for any questions concerning applications for work licenses or Special Hardship Orders.