HUMANITIES

LEGAL EXCURSION TO THE MAGISTRATES' COURT

On a cold, wintery day, a group of Year 11 Legal Studies students ventured down to the Magistrate’s Court. Despite being no direct trains, resulting in reduced time spent on witnessing cases; we persevered. Students were distributed into groups, and able to freely pick a courtroom. Zayd Erasmus, James Woodhouse, James Moseshvili and Fergus Frost eagerly went into courtroom five, where the anticipation diminished and intrigue grew. The sheer quantity of information and tensity in the room was astounding!

The case was in regard to a man who pleaded guilty to all charges in relation to animal abuse, possession of drugs and domestic violence. The defendant's lawyer stated that the accused was receiving medication for schizophrenia, though hadn’t taken his medication for the last seven weeks; leaving us skeptical. Unfortunately, the case was adjourned to a further date, so no finalised inferences were drawn. The convicted man was held in remand and awarded a community correction order.

Ultimately, this experience has enlightened the entirety of the class, and we greatly appreciated the opportunity.

Zayd Erasmus

Year 11 Legal Studies student

YEAR 11 LEGAL STUDIES STUDENTS VISIT THE MELBOURNE MAGISTRATES’ COURT

On attending the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 13 August, the first observation which my group and I witnessed, was a man behind the glass with two guards. He was currently in Ravenhall Prison serving jail time for numerous counts including assault, drunken assault and assault with a bottle.

The Magistrate decided to have another hearing at a later date, (once the psychiatric report was completed) to determine whether or not bail will be granted. 

Another case we observed was in regards to a man who accidentally drove his vehicle to work a few days earlier than he was meant to, as he had a 6 month ban on driving for loss of demerit points. The Magistrate decided to repeal the sentence of an extra 6 months because she felt his reasons were legitimate as he needed to drive his children and be able to drive to work. She instead ordered him to pay a $400 dollar fine to be paid as soon as possible. 

We were all very grateful for this opportunity, as it gave us some insight into the daily life of a Magistrate and the day to day operations of the Magistrates’ Court.

Alex Kraus

Year 11 Legal Studies student