Aurukun judge gets off without disciplinary action
No disciplinary action will be taken against anyone in the Queensland justice system despite two separate reports yesterday slamming the handling of the Aurukun Nine rape case.
Queensland’s Court of Appeal yesterday found that Cairns District Court judge Sarah Bradley made several errors of law in not jailing any of the nine males who admitted raping a 10-year-old girl at the Cape York community of Aurukun in 2005.
“These errors were so serious as to produce a clear miscarriage of justice,” said Queensland Chief Justice Paul de Jersey.
A report by Brisbane barrister Peter Davis SC, which was also released yesterday, found that the prosecution in the Aurukun Nine case was disorganised, ill-prepared and made errors of law.
Mr Davis, whose report examined 71 sexual assault cases on Queensland’s Cape York, was also critical of Judge Bradley, but rejected suggestions that she should be removed. (news)
