I am looking beyond why a witness wasn’t the subject of a subpoena in this instance and am questioning the actions of the visiting Judge – just who does he think he is? http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/06/18/2278222.htm
Is visiting Sydney Judge Justice Roger Gyles accountable to the people of Canberra or even the victim? If Justice Gyles [...]

Now, I just know someone will post something inane about a doughnut van crashing, but does anyone know what was going on in Civic Bus Interchange yesterday afternoon?
At about 4:30pm there were six or seven police vehicles parked around the intersection of Mort St and Alinga St and various groups of officers standing around, some [...]

Like the Raven in Poe’s The Raven, Simon Corbell has rightly come out saying ‘never more’ in this sadly bungled case.
The office of the ACT Director of Public Prosecutions will review all cases set down for trial to prevent the unavailability of witnesses leading to another aborted prosecution. The Canberra Times revealed yesterday that a [...]

A police investigation in the nation’s capital Canberra has revealed goods are being stolen after being listed on the internet for sale, according to the Age.
Detective Sergeant Dave Harrison, from the Territory Investigations Group, says providing details other than a phone number effectively tells thieves where particular goods are housed.
“Thieves can click on a website [...]

Livenews has this report about a Canberra man who has been charged with attempted sexual intercourse without consent, an act of indecency without consent and burglary.
The assault occurred in Belconnen in the early hours of on Monday morning, police say

A Canberra man clocked doing 142kmh in an 80km/h zone while more than eight times over the legal alcohol limit returned to his car and drove home after police had charged him.
Police say a 24-year-old was driving a Ford ute on Southern Cross Drive, in Canberra’s west, about 1am (AEST) today when he was clocked [...]

As a followup to the story last week about a bashing at Woden Plaza being filmed and put on YouTube, News.com are reporting that police have caught the alleged perpetrators.

To all Canberrans reading, the fact that there is a post on the RiotACT about taxis shouldn’t come as a surprise.
My complaint, however, is not quite the norm. This morning I took a taxi in which:
the driver did not display ID (and when asked, said that it was not required in ACT – bulls–t!);
the driver [...]

ABC online is reporting that Warren Masters who was injured saving the life of a four-year-old boy from a vicious dog in Canberra last year says he still has not received compensation. He jumped into a backyard at Banks and grappled with a dog that was savaging the boy.
Mr Masters asked the ACT Government to [...]

Marist are trying to use legal loopholes to cause further pain and suffering on the victims of child sexual abuse that occurred in their school for decades. Some say with their full knowledge and tacit approval.The Church is deliberately trying to add salt to some of the nastiest wounds in this small town. Kostka admitted [...]

The Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that police divers will scour the Queanbeyan River as part of an investigation into the suspicious death of Danny Ralph, 46, who was found dead in the river on March 30.
Anyone with information about Mr Ralph’s death are asked to contact police.

News.com have this story on a bashing incident which apparently occured at Woden Plaza and for which the footage is now up on Youtube.
Anyone know anything about this?
It’s a rather sad indictment on society that such actions provide such entertainment (and, yes, I’m aware of the irony of me posting information about it [...]

Hey,
 Just wondering if anyone knows anything about a crime scene at a downer park in tardent st today? I went by there at lunch time and there were cops and detectives everywhere, hession was all wrapped around the playground and tape aroud the whole park block. 

Back on the 13th May 2008, the Canberra Times ran an article about the fuel theft that has started to occur as a result of number-plates being stolen from cars. Obviously a number plate can be removed from a car even if you use tamper proof screws (if you are determined enough you would just jemmy the plate [...]

I’ve just noticed this article on ABC online where Shadow Attorney General Bill Stefaniac is calling for all AFP officers (presumably including the extra 500 police) to have taser guns issued as standard equipment on their already encumbered utility belts. The theory being that it will ultimately be kinder on criminals who might otherwise have [...]

It may come as a surprise to some, but every so often Johnboy still keeps an eye on the going’s on in canberra from his beachside retreat. This time he’s noted this Attorney General’s media release covering details about the governments promise to bolster AFP numbers to the tune of 500 officers over the next [...]

Am curious as i have not heard anymore and Canberra media is great for announcing things and not giving closure.

Working around civic i have noticed an increasing number of homeless people sitting in Garema place doing nothing but drinking booze and doing drugs and everytime i wonder where are the cops. In the whole maybe 6 months since that crappy asian christian singer has started feeding the homeless i have seen the cops not [...]

[Ed. CG has kindly kept us in the loop on this one with further updates on the case from ABC online here]
I have been watching the posts about the Daramalan and Marist College sexual abuse by Paul Lyons and Brother Kostka for some months now. I have been watching the news and reading the reports, [...]

Just been called by ABC Radio for a comment on news the wallopers out our way have nabbed some 20 kids aged 12-17 for 55 break and enters. Apparently it’s been a 10-month investigation.
Very timely given the recent story on this sort of crime, and my own comments on the impact it has on so many [...]

Driving through Pialligo this afternoon at 2pm and there were around 12 police all riot-geared up walking in a tight formation with shields, batons and guns at the ready. They were walking right up the middle of a driveway of one of the houses opposite the nurseries.
 It looked like a very seriuos raid/bust.
Anyone know what was going on?

Have a look at this winner “Plucker”…. the Canberra Crimes have come up with what will no doubt be award winning investigate jounalism thanks to their Police Reporter.
http://canberra.yourguide.com.au/news/local/general/a-thief-confesses-youre-looking-for-a-house-thats-nice-and-tidy-looks-like-its-got-money/1236560.html
For all the soft hearts who think that rehabilitation is the option, this criminal openly states that his reason for changing his ways was jail (adult justice system).
“I [...]

the ACT attorney-general simon corbell has just announced that they have been forced to drop the ceremonial component of the civil partnerships/unions legislation which is going to be retabled this week – purely because the federal government have broken their election commitment (to not interfere in state & territory matters) and stated they will overturn [...]

Ms ***** (whose name shall remain unpublished, in light of pending court case), of Canberra, was charged late last year with the alleged aggravated robbery of two young adults at Garema Place Commonwealth Bank ATM, Canberra City.
The couple were returning home from a night socialising with friends in the city, when they [...]

The ABC is reporting that the jury in the trial of Ian Edward Hirst, who is alleged to have murdered his neighbour, has retired to consider its verdict.
Hirst is accused of stabbing David Bagnall at the Fraser Court Flats in Kingston on December 4, 2006 and has been on bail since the incident

Hi All,
 Not sure if this had been done to death on RioACT or not - I am new to the site.
 Is it illegal to stay in the right hand lane on a freeway in the ACT if you are not overtaking?  I am sick of getting stuck behind pin-heads on the parkway who choose to stay in [...]

That bastion of local news and opinion, the Chronicle, has an article reporting that the sworn (real) Police numbers in the ACT are being fudged by Sonic and Co.
Smyth has uncovered figures showing our numbers of sworn Police per 100,00 is around the 180 mark. This number has stayed fairly constant for the last few [...]

Porritt case facts from the Higgins decision:
The autopsy evidence has been substantially misquoted. It has been represented as revealing that the deceased had 57 stab wounds. In truth, the report revealed 57 incised wounds, only a few of them being stab wounds. The pathologist, Dr Lynch, noted many relatively superficial incisions.
Posts echoing misinformation in “Stabbed [...]

I don’t know if anyone else has noticed, but I was out with a couple of mates in civic the other night doing a photography assignment and saw something quite strange. Police vans doing were laps around the main venue block of civic (i.e. the phoenix, ICBM, mooseheads – the latter two I’m more [...]

The Crimes has the following story on changes Simon Corbell is looking at implementing to change how the ACT Supreme Court does business.
Basically it will remove the option of trial by judge alone (both side must agree to this option) and increase the minimum maximum sentence of a matter that can be dealt [...]

Over the last three days, I’ve been receiving calls on my mobile phone from 03 8341 4900. If I answer, it plays a snippet of music (always the same snippet) and then hangs up. If I let it go to voicemail, there’s a recording of a guy saying “…..hello?…..” (always the same recording). I’m wondering [...]

From the SMH article…
Glen Porrit has been found not guilty for murder (and instead found guilty of the lesser manslaughter charge) as Justice Higgins told the court that “he was not satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Porritt inflicted any of the injuries with an intention to kill his mother or with reckless indifference to the [...]