Erin Patterson appeal set + Why rapists can no longer be 'top blokes'
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What is the appeal date set for Erin Patterson?
A listener production. Hi, Sasha Barbagat with you. Welcome to The Briefing. After years of pressure from survivors and advocates, one Aussie state has changed its laws around sentencing sexual offenders and campaigners are calling it a major breakthrough.
We have held up a mirror to the country and asked, when we are confronted with horrific violence, why is it that we reach for language that wants to soften it? Why are we calling child sex offenders champions of young people? Why are rapists being described as top blokes?
A deep dive into the place of good character references in our legal system and the campaign to have the laws changed right across the country is coming up in the second half of this episode. First, as always, it's time for the headlines with Chris Spirou on Thursday the 28th of May.
Morning, Sash. Erin Patterson's next court date has been set as she launches her appeal. The convicted triple murderer will front court in mid-August trying to have her four convictions quashed. The 51-year-old is serving three life sentences with a non-parole period of 33 years for murdering her in-laws Don and Gail Patterson and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson. She was also found guilty of the attempted murder of Heather's husband Ian, the sole survivor of her death cap mushroom beef Wellington lunch.
According to court documents, Patterson's lawyers will argue she was subjected to a substantial miscarriage of justice on multiple grounds. They're challenging key evidence, including cell tower data, online mushroom sighting records and testimony from Facebook friends. They'll also argue the jury's integrity was compromised after it emerged they were staying in the same hotel as prosecutors, police and media.
And it's not the only appeal in play. A reminder that the Department of Public Prosecutions is also arguing against her 33-year non-parole period. They appealed it last year saying that it is manifestly inadequate. Erin Patterson is currently being held in isolation at a maximum security women's prison in Melbourne's West and won't be eligible for parole until she's 82 years old.
Overseas now, where five of the seven people who have spent a week trapped in a cave in Laos have been found alive and are being prepared for extraction. The group of villagers first entered the cave on Wednesday last week in search of gold and wildlife, but couldn't get out after heavy rain and landslides flooded the cave's entrance.
A Thai rescue team, which includes divers who helped free the young Thai soccer team from a cave back in 2018, are now working to reach the five men. They have managed to get them food, water and supplies while also trying to locate the remaining two who do remain missing. Interestingly, we have heard from one of the specialist divers. He was involved in the Thai rescue back in 2018 and he said that the extraction part is the hard part so they've gotten the food to them they're hoping to you know bolster their strength to help them on the way out and um you know all descriptions of this part that they're in in this cave that they're in is that it's very very tricky terrain the entrance itself is barely wide enough for a single person at a time to climb through and they are still needing to combat you know flooding and trying to clear waterways and mud and things like that
How many people will be cut from the NDIS and why?
Yeah, I think it's always amazing though when, you know, the footage has come out of like the camera coming up and like seeing this group and they're smiling and waving and it's like can you imagine sitting in that cave for a week going, well, this might be it, guys. No one's found us. And, you know, not only, you know, the jubilation for them but also for the rescuers who are trying to find them to be able to finally lay eyes on them. As you said, it's a hard mission ahead but at least a bright spot that they've actually found them.
back home now and it's been revealed more than 240,000 people will be kicked off the NDIS when new eligibility rules come into force. A release of internal documents has revealed the modelling which takes into account changes to who can access the scheme and subjecting participants to standardised assessments.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the appeal date set for Erin Patterson?
0:02–3:20
2
How many people will be cut from the NDIS and why?
3:20–6:34
3
What changes are being made to sentencing laws for sexual offenders?
6:34–8:18
4
How do good character references affect sentencing in Australia?
8:18–8:56
5
What is the significance of the 'Your Reference Ain't Relevant' campaign?
8:56–10:21
6
Why did New South Wales change its laws regarding character references?
10:21–12:35
7
How do survivors feel about the changes in the legal system?
12:35–14:26
8
What are the future implications of these legal changes across Australia?
14:26–21:20
Speakers
3 identifiedMore from The Briefing
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