Media article #1

Newspaper/website/magazine: SMH

Date: April 7 2023

Article title: Three trials, another verdict, a pending prison

sentence: Jarryd Hayne’s long and extreme fall from grace

Category of crime: Sexual assault

Which court was the case heard in: District court

Description of article:
Jarryd Hayne was convicted of two charges relating to non-
consensual oral sex and the digital penetration of a 26-year-old
woman in Newcastle which left her bleeding. He went through 3
trials. The first one was hung, the second one found him guilty, he
later appealed the decision but was found guilty in the third trial as
well. He was found not guilty of a more serious charge alleging he'd
intentionally or recklessly physically harmed her. He was given a
prison sentence of 5 years and 8 months with a non parole period
of three years and eight months. 9 months later he put in an appeal
application which was accepted. The third trial resulted in the jury
deliberated for more than 20 hours and found him guilty of both
sexual assault charges.

Legal issues:
The legal issues that are faced in this case and are shown in this
article is the fact that he had to go through 3 trials. The problems
this poses affects both Hayne and the victim as both have to go
through the same thing again and go through what happened. This
would probably be more stress on the victim as she has to go
through the pain of giving her version of what happened 3 times
which can put alot of stress and pain on the victim. Another issue is
that the multiple trials waste the court’s time as they have to listen
to 3 trials. It also drains both the victim and Hayne’s money and
time as both have to pay their lawyer fees for 3 trials and have to
attend court for all three trials.

Media article #2

Newspaper/website/magazine: Illawarra Mercury

Date: April 5 2023

Article title: Terrorist guilty seven years after Curtis Cheng murder

Category of crime: conspiricy to murder

Court that case was heard in: Supreme court

Description of article:
Mustafa Dirani was found guilty of one count of conspiring with
others to do an act of terrorism. In 2015, Mr Cheng was shot by
Farhad Mohammad outside the NSW police headquarters in
Parramatta. Dirani and another man Raban Alou were accused of
supplying a 1942 Smith & Wesson revolver to Farhad at the
Parramatta Mosque. Dirani always denied this. He said that he
stayed around Alou to get something to eat with him. This is his
fourth trial with the first one in 2018 the jury was discharged as no
verdict was able to be reached. In 2019 he was found guilty and got
a maximum sentence of 28 years. He appealed the sentence which
was accepted, which was a judge and jury trial as well which also
failed to reach a verdict and was again discharged. In the latest trial
however he was found guilty but is still awaiting sentencing.

Legal issues:
There are multiple legal issues that arise in this case. The first is
that the 4 trials would take a heavy toll on the defendant’s mental
health as well as their money and their time. It would also use up
the prosecutors time and money as well where they could be using
that time to fight another case. Another legal issue is that the
switching of decisions between guilty and can’t decide as well as
the circumstantial case against him as well as it being a terrorism
case and him also being muslim may give the suspicion that there
may have been some prejudice against the defendant and also the
fact that the jury could not come to a decision both times may mean
that it may not have been guilty beyond reasonable doubt as clearly
the jury had doubts both times.