Three prominent members of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club (president, secretary/treasurer and sergeant at arms) faced prosecution in the Ipswich District Court charged on a 12 count indictment for assault occasioning bodily harm in company, common assault, robbery in company and deprivation of liberty where the complainant was an ex-member of the club who was expelled for being an IV drug user and attempting to stand-over members of the local community by threatening them with the club.

On the third day of trial the presiding judge gave the jury a Prasad direction and after a short deliberation the jury returned verdicts of not guilty on all counts against all accused without having to hear addresses or the Judge’s summing up.

It was a prosecution brought in bad faith motivated by the fact that the accused men are members of the Bandidos MC.

Not only was there no evidence which corroborated the complainants version there was significant evidence which directly contradicted the complainant particularly that of 2 doctors which examined him and observed no injuries whatsoever.

It is a great victory for the accused.

The trial raised serious questions about the transparency of the Police with regards to the disclosure obligations imposed by the Criminal Code.

Brisbane criminal lawyer, Ryan & Bosscher’s Tim Meehan, has slammed Government authorities for its careless imposition of an infringement notice upon a woman who was wrongly identified.

Law Talk’s Dan Toombs talks to Tim Meehan

Brisbane criminal lawyer, Tim Meehan, warns of knee-jerk reactions in response to the death of Officer Leeding and asserts that tougher sentencing isn’t the answer.

Ryan & Bosscher Lawyers over the coming few weeks will be providing exclusive free video content and loads of other free information via their Facebook page.

“Ryan & Bosscher have always had a strong commitment to providing prompt information to people when they need it most. Our Facebook presence is really just an extension of that commitment and of course, our ready availability to help out,” Partner Tim Meehan said.

You can access the Ryan & Bosscher criminal law firms Brisbane Facebook page right here

Being charged with assault does not necessarily mean you’re guilty of it. There are numerous defences to the charge of assault. In this video, Ryan & Bosscher’s, criminal lawyers in Brisbane, partner Tim Meehan discusses those defences.

The Supply of a Dangerous Drug is a charge synonymous with jail time. In this video, Ryan & Bosscher Partner, Tim Meehan explains the charge in more detail.

Police Powers in matters of suspected drug possession, supply or manufacture are extensive. In this video, Ryan & Bosscher Partner Tim Meehan, provides information with respect to the breadth of police investigation powers.

Drug Offences come before Queensland Courts frequently. They are serious offences which may invariably lead to custodial sentences.

Police Interviews are notoriously risky if you are under investigation for an offence by Queensland Police, or any Police for that matter. People can unwittingly attend a police interview and participate in it, only to find that because of their admissions in that interview, they are charged. It can be the case that Police in the absence of strong evidence will encourage you to attend a police interview in hope that they can substantially strengthen their case.

There are some circumstances where attending a police interview may be beneficial to your legal predicament. However, only do this in company with a lawyer from Ryan & Bosscher.

After committal, the matter leaves the Magistrates Court and will be mentioned in either the District or Supreme Court a couple of months later.

In the interim, the Director of Public Prosecutions (“DPP”) will prepare an “indictment” setting out the charges against the accused. The indictment is simply the higher courts’ version of the original police charges. After the indictment is presented to the superior court, the defence must advise the court whether the matter will be a “sentence” (a plea of guilty) or a trial (a plea of not guilty).

If the plea is a guilty plea, the judge will set a future date for a sentencing hearing which can normally take place within a matter of weeks. However, if a plea of not guilty is to be entered, the matter will proceed to a trial.

If either side need more time, for example to conduct further inquiries or to negotiate, the court may simply adjourn the matter for a month or so to allow the necessary issues to be attended to. After that period of time the matter will be “mentioned” before the court again to update the court on progress and have the matter set for sentence or trial as need be.

There are some important differences between proceedings in the Magistrates Court and proceedings in the District and Supreme Courts. Proceedings in the higher courts (District and Supreme) are more formal, and consequently more time consuming. Judges are dressed in wigs and robes, as are the barristers who represent both the prosecution and the accused. When an accused person pleads not guilty and therefore goes to trial, all issues of fact are determined by a jury rather than by the judge. This is significantly different to the Magistrates Court where the magistrate determines all questions of law and fact even at a hearing where the defendant pleads not guilty.

Another difference between the courts is that where an accused person is represented by lawyers in the District and Supreme Court, then usually that person will not be required to attend at preliminary mentions in the court prior to trial or sentence. In the Magistrates Court the defendant generally has to appear every time, even if legally represented.