This one appears to be more a problem with the legal system than the media. The Courier Maildelivered an appropriate headline highlighting how ludicrous it was to grant an appeal based on yacht club membership. The court ruling is (or should be)… odd.
According to the appeal judgement, 74 year old Peter Hollis had his conviction for assault set aside in part because his breaches of intervention orders after the assault “did not involve allegations of violence”. Apparently “approaching the [woman] at a shopping centre or otherwise driving and attending at her house” after assaulting her is not being violent towards a “terrified” woman .
The appeal judges also agreed Hollis would suffer “potential consequences of the recording of a conviction on his social and economic wellbeing”, did not agree that he should have to live with the consequences of his choice to be violent, and they set aside the conviction.
So, it would seem that if you choose to violently assault a woman and then breach domestic violence orders supposed to protect her, you don’t have to worry about consequences as long as you can afford an appeal to the Supreme Court and have a membership at the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron membership.
Cool, cool, cool.
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