Donna Capewell beats the system

How many staff are there in a court room at any given time…plus the cost of the lease/depreciation/maintenance of the building…plus administrative costs and so on.

How on Earth can courts costs be $117? Whether she’s pay or not is not the point, but shouldn’t court costs be determined on an actual operating cost basis rather than some figure that appears to have been plucked out of the air in 1971.

Deref said :

I don’t pretend to understand the law. I’ve heard about precedent, though. Does this mean that if I steal $10k and get caught, I can cite this and get off?

No. Magistrates Court does not set precedents as they are the lowest court. Binding precedents are only set by higher courts. Other magistrates decisions can be used a a guide but they are certainly not binding like a supreme court decision.

I don’t pretend to understand the law. I’ve heard about precedent, though. Does this mean that if I steal $10k and get caught, I can cite this and get off?

Another dangerous precedent being set in our Canberra courts.

I remember being told that criminals in jail could ask a Magistrate to do extra time for outstanding fines at $100 a day (e.g. $500 fine = 5 days extra in the big house).

I’d be happy for Ms Capewell to spend 54 days in the Hume Hilton (45 days for outstanding $4500, 1 day for $117 court costs and 8 days for the outstanding 65 hours of Community Service) because she has already been found guilty of the crime.

If the Canberra courts enforced the above at least then the Magistrates and Judges would be slapping the faces, and not the wrists, of the scum who laugh at the system !!!

Wonder if they’ll ever get the $117?