The Magistrate decided that, although he was initially considering a more serious penalty, a period of probation would be appropriate in the circumstances. Accordingly, the client was placed on probation for 12 months. He was fortunate that the Magistrate granted the probation order without a criminal conviction.

The client was very grateful for the opportunity to continue working with Youth Justice to address his underlying issues and for the chance to avoid a more serious outcome.

The client was ultimately placed on a Community Correction Order that would run for a period of 15 months. Although the main focus of the order was the rehabilitation of our client, the Magistrate ordered that he complete community work to address the punitive element of sentencing.

The Magistrate also ordered that the client be subject to judicial monitoring throughout the course of the order. That is, the client is required to appear before the sentencing Magistrate, and reports will be prepared and submitted by the Corrections office regarding his progress and compliance with the order. The Magistrate stated that this was to ensure that our client was complying and benefiting from the imposition of the order. Furthermore, the Magistrate warned that if the reports were not favourable, he would resentence our client to a term of imprisonment.

This was a wonderful result for the client, as the possibility of a term of imprisonment was very likely due to the client’s prior criminal history. This meant that the client would be able to properly address both his drug and mental health issues and would still be held accountable for his actions, as he would still be required to appear before the sentencing Magistrate.

When the matter came to court, the client received a one-month suspension and a $500 fine. It could have been a larger fine and six to nine months off the road, so it was a great result. It meant he could keep his job and complete his apprenticeship.

This case highlights the technical nature of the interaction between the Road Safety Act, the courts and VicRoads. It demonstrates that if you have driving matters at court, you should engage a lawyer with intricate knowledge of all three.

Following lengthy submissions by our solicitor, the Magistrate imposed a good behaviour bond without conviction for 12 months. This was a fantastic outcome for the client, as Magistrates view breaches of sex offender registration as serious offending.

Following submissions to the court, the client received a fine without conviction, and the Magistrate imposed a one-month licence suspension to commence from the court date.

This was an excellent outcome for the client, as the conviction was automatically and immediately spent. 

The summary was heavily amended to remove any reference to the more serious charges. Following submissions by our solicitor, the client received a minor fine of $400. The Magistrate did not make any order on the client’s driver’s licence.  The outcome was excellent for the client.