Our client was a teenager when he was arrested at the end of a police pursuit in Sydney’s west. What happened during that arrest left him injured, and led to something that rarely happens in cases against the police. When someone alleges excessive force by police, the officer involved is rarely criminally charged and convicted.
Police Officer Convicted of Assaulting Our Client During a Sydney Arrest Read More »
On 1 July 2026, it became a criminal offence in NSW to be a commercial landlord who knowingly lets a tenant sell illicit tobacco or illegal vapes from your building. The maximum penalty? A year in prison, a fine of $165,000, or both. This is a big change. Before that, the legal risk in the
Finding out that your personal information has been mishandled or used in a way you never agreed to, is an unsettling feeling. If this happens to you, here is what you should do. You need to understand what the organisation responsible must do, and what you can actually do about the privacy breach. This guide
Privacy Breach in NSW: Your Rights and How to Make a Complaint Read More »
For two years, a person in Bankstown, the Orana Mid-Western area, Coffs-Clarence or the Hunter Valley could be searched by police without a warrant if a Drug Supply Prohibition Order was in force against them. However, that order could be based on a serious drug conviction from the previous 10 years. Importantly, it also did
Drug Supply Prohibition Orders in NSW: The Warrantless Search Power That Was Repealed Read More »
A young woman posted on Reddit that she was arrested, held overnight, and strip searched in WA, even though no one suggested she was hiding anything. Her question is simple: Was that allowed? The thread is taking off, with hundreds of comments. It quickly lands on an uncomfortable idea: that the “consent” police ask for
Strip Search Leads To Criminal Charges: Viral Reddit Post on WA Woman’s Strip Search Read More »
This article refers to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have died. It is shared with respect for their families and communities. A person who is arrested, remanded, or sentenced does not lose the right to come home alive. That principle is being tested in New South Wales right now. Last October, the NSW
Deaths in Custody in NSW: Criminal Charges Explained Read More »
The way NSW polices organised crime shifted this year, and most people outside the courts have not caught up with what has changed. In June 2026, the NSW Parliament passed the Crimes Legislation Amendment (Organised and Gang-related Crime Reforms) Act 2026. This is a package the Minns Government says targets the “beating heart” of organised
For years, plenty of festivalgoers walked away from a drug dog sit-down assuming they had no choice. Hand over your ID, follow the officer to the tent, take your clothes off if told to. Many believed that once a dog “indicated,” a strip search was simply what happened next. In September 2025, the NSW Supreme
NSW Strip Search Myths: Why A Drug Dog Alone Isn’t Enough (And The Court Just Said So) Read More »
Here is a number that will surprise almost everyone who lives in Sydney. Over the year to March 2026, the beachside eastern-suburbs area around Bondi recorded a higher rate of non-domestic assault per resident than Canterbury-Bankstown in the city’s south-west. You read that right. Not a higher total, a higher rate, meaning more recorded incidents
The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) is one of the most demanding forums a person can be asked to front in New South Wales. This week, the University of Wollongong inquiry reached the witness at the centre of it, and O’Brien Criminal & Civil Solicitors is on the record acting for her. Former UOW chief
The University of Wollongong ICAC Inquiry: On the Record for Alyssa White Read More »
