Past cases and resources
Our client was recently found not guilty of larceny. Police alleged that our client stole a handbag worth $1,500 from a restaurant, where she was having dinner with friends. Our client told police that she took the handbag by mistake. However, police still charged her with an offence that carries a
There is a high risk of receiving a penalty of imprisonment for dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm. If you are under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of driving, the chance of jail for dangerous driving increases. Recently, Zoe was able to ensure our client avoided jail
No, an Apprehended Violence Order (AVO) will not show on a criminal record. Why not? An AVO will not appear on a criminal record because it is not a criminal charge. Instead, it is a civil proceeding. This means that in order to make a Final AVO, a court must
On 27 November 2023, Zoe Whetham attended the Law Society of NSW’s prestigious and widely respected Specialist Accreditation award ceremony in Sydney, where she was awarded Specialist Accreditation in Criminal Law. Specialist Accreditation is held by less than 5% of the legal profession in New South Wales. The Specialist Accreditation Program has
Before a sentence hearing, a Court can order a Sentence Assessment Report (SAR). A Community Corrections Officer will write the report following an interview with you. A magistrate or judge will then consider the report during your sentence hearing. How do I know if I need a Sentence Assessment Report?
A Conditional Release Order (CRO) is a sentence imposed by a court requiring you to be of good behaviour. In addition, it requires you to appear at court if called upon to do so and to notify the court if you change address. Additional conditions can also be imposed. For
If your licence has been disqualified by a court in NSW, there are some options available to get your licence back. For example, by filing an appeal to the District Court. Alternatively, in some instances an application to remove the disqualification can be made. We have explored these options in
When an assault occurs in a public place, police will often lay a charge of affray instead of assault. This is significant, because the maximum penalty for affray is 10 years imprisonment, compared to 2 years for common assault. However, even though you might be guilty of affray, it is important to speak with
A “second or subsequent offence” means that the maximum penalties that apply to a new traffic charge will be more serious. However, the previous offence must have occurred within the last 5 years. In addition, the prior offence needs to be an “equivalent offence”, or a “major offence”. The provision