The Canberra Times has the disturbing news that Canberra’s Magistrates are only now taking action against people who swear at them in court:
Streams of invective levelled at magistrates and judges are all too common in the legal profession, but contempt of court charges are rarely laid as a result. Under the Magistrates Court Act, a defendant can be held in contempt for insulting a magistrate, registrar, bailiff or other court officer.
After Ms Doogan refused the man bail yesterday, he shouted obscenities before being escorted out of the courtroom by corrective services officers.
”You’re a racist f—ing white piece of shit,” the man shouted.
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Every Thursday afternoon, we package up the most-read and trending RiotACT stories of the past seven days and deliver straight to your inbox..He continued to shout at the court staff who removed him from the hearing room.
”I’m going to have him charged with contempt,” Ms Doogan said. ”I am sick of being abused by people in this court.”
One has to wonder if it would do society a world of good to enforce some impulse control on those who are coming before the courts.
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What’s Your opinion?
Magistrates to finally grow a pair?
Oldest to Newst
johnboy said :
Of course I do – but both are public places and I don’t see why magistrates think it is okay for the Police to put up with the same sort of behaviour while doing their jobs, (and not be offended) but when the same behaviour is directed at a magistrate, they go to town on people. If they weren’t making such ridiculous judgements, telling the public that it’s okay to call Police names, and letting the idiots off who are doing it, then perhaps those same fools wouldn’t think it was okay to say the same things to the judiciary. What’s good for the goose and all that.
Offensive behaviour/contempt of court. Pretty much the same thing – just the location has changed.
Why shouldn’t police be offended if someone insults them? Yes, they hear it all the time, it doesn’t make it any less offensive when it is directed at them.
“colourful sydney racing identity said :
There are a number of countires that have legal systems like that. I suspect you probably wouldn’t like to live in one of them.
*Australia* had a legal system like that. We were still hanging people in the ’60s, remember. And we were one of the nicer places in the world to live back then, just like now.”
The convict invasion of Australia started on 26 January 1788. On 27 Feb the they hanged a 17 year old for stealing. 1829 being the best year for hanging with 52 people. Hangings took place every ten days. Our population was 36 598, some 15 728 being convicts. Same common law system we have today I believe. Not such a nice place to live then.
It’s about time these criminals were charged with offensive behaviour towards Judges.
McDougall called the judge a silly old c..t at the verdict, when charged with a double murder, and behaved so disrespectful towards Judge Gray throughout the court proceddings, I couldn’t believe he got away with it, silly boy, didn’t get the last laugh.
colourful sydney racing identity said :
*Australia* had a legal system like that. We were still hanging people in the ’60s, remember. And we were one of the nicer places in the world to live back then, just like now.
TheObserver said :
After my first wife gave me the flick I went to see a well known family law practice in Civic. “Jeez, these are really flash premises” I thought to myself when I walked in, which should’ve raised the alarm right there. I then had a totally useless chat with some junior lawyer bozo for about 30 minutes which achieved nothing, at the end of which they said “That’ll be $250 for achieving nothing, and before we speak to you again we’ll need a $2500 upfront deposit.”
My response was something along the lines of “You can kiss my hairy freckle”. They made not one cent from me. I wasn’t in a very good mood that year.
The point of that little rant, is that if somebody is being rude to junior lawyers, well, I can only applaud their efforts. Give ’em heaps, yeronner.
I subsequently found another firm who provided a free first consultation, which was enormously useful, followed by a couple of other followup session. Total cost was a couple of hundred bucks.
Next thing would be to stop a former magistrate, and now Judge, being rude and a bully – particularly to junior lawyers. Hope springs eternal.
Dilandach said :
There are a number of countires that have legal systems like that. I suspect you probably wouldn’t like to live in one of them.
p1 said :
Funny that such vulnerable things are equated with toughness.
LSWCHP said :
It would be a seriously tough female magistrate if she could grow a pair of testicle though force of anger.
Stevian said :
A pair of hooters?
LSWCHP said :
Gender neutral.
Unless they say “grow some farkin balls” apparently.
EvanJames said :
+1 triple the fine and take away their fags.
LSWCHP said :
A pair of ovaries?
Is it just me, or is ironic to have a headline that mentions magistrates “growing a pair”, when the magistrate who has decided to confront these arsehats is a woman?
So the two fine examples of pond scum who beat the bejesus out of the Stop & Go bloke in civic appeal against the ‘harsh’ six month sentence are now out on bail and we are supposed to believe that any Magistrates are going to be able to deter people from swearing at them in Court. Wake up and smell the coffee – the judicial system is a joke which is why it is treated with contempt. Good grief!
Tool said :
Only if they start using the Tele’s units of measurement such as olympic swimming pools or Sydney harbours for volume and football fields for length. Last week the speed of a chinstrap penguin was used as a comparison for motor vehicle speed in a particular gridlocked road…
johnboy said :
A court IS a public place.
Dilandach said :
I think “drug f***ed” is the all encompassing expression you’re looking for to describe their skulls.
It should amaze me that the courts didn’t always have a zero tolerance approach to this sort of behaviour – but I’m not really surprised.
Diggety said :
Honestly, they really do need to bring back instilling fear into these types. Mouth off in court, get sent to some cells to be worked over by the cops for a couple of hours. Next court appearance, do it again, same result except it happens for twice as long.
They’re like the dog that craps on your carpet. A good flogging will get it into their ADD, ADHD or ODD filled skull that if they act like animals, they’ll get a flogging like an animal until they behave.