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Legal Herald - THE LAW AND YOU

BLIND JUSTICE, NO WAY!!!!

July 19th 2007 00:25
The quashing of the criminal conviction against famous Australian celebrity Matthew Newton and son of legendary entertainer Bert Newton is a stark reminder that justice is not blind and that indeed the rich and famous receive lighter sentences or convictions. When walking inside a court room we want to believe that there will be no prejudices held against us such as race, gender, socio-economic status, but it can be argued that indeed justice does “peek”. Unfortunately it sometimes depends on who you are more than on what you do! The actual symbolism of justice is represented by a blind-folded woman holding a set of scales and is still used today. The ancient Greeks referred to the goddess as “Themis” while the Romans called her “Justitia” and she was usually portrayed as evenly balancing both scales and a sword and wearing a blindfold. Hence the blindfold symbolises that differences will not be looked at in a court room, and that we will all be dealt with equally. However, in numerous criminal matters last week in Country NSW similar domestic violence matters received criminal convictions. Many of the convicted do not have the funds to appeal matters to a higher court so it is difficult to have convictions quashed. According to newspaper reports the reason that Matthew Newton was able to “get off” without a record is due to his celebrity status and his counsel argued in court that this would have a devastating affect on his ability to make a living.
courtesy; www.morguefile.com



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The Mary Kay Letourneau Story

August 26th 2006 06:27
Mary Kay Letourneau
Mary Kay Letourneau, taken on her release from jail in 1998*


Mary Kay Letourneau is one of the world’s most well-known criminals. Her story shocked the world and to this day, people still shake their heads in disbelief.


Born January 30, 1962 and raised by her parents, a US Congressman and an Anti-Feminist Activist, Letourneau grew up to be a wife, a mother and a school teacher that no one will ever forget.

Her story begins in 1992, when Letourneau met Vili Fualaau, an 8 year-old boy. He was a student in her 2nd grade class at Shorewood Elementary in Washington. The teacher and student appeared to have an ordinary relationship but by the time Vili was in 6th grade, the relationship had become sexual. The two were regularly but secretively meeting one another and having sexual intercourse.

Letourneau’s husband at the time discovered that his wife was cheating on him after reading love letters written by the couple. He turned to his family in support, and his brother contacted child protection services.

On August 7 1997, Letourneau was convicted of statutory rape and was sentenced to 7 years imprisonment. Letourneau’s sentence was eventually cut short due to a good behaviour deal where she was released on the condition that she did not contact or see Fualaau and that she enroll in a sexual treatment program. At that time Fualaau was 13 years old.

But less than 1 month after her release, Letourneau was caught in a car with Falaau and her 7 year prison sentence was reinstated.

The public reacted with outrage when this story first came to their attention. And when everyone learned that Letourneau was carrying Fualaau’s child as well, that was just too much.

Today 44-year-old Letourneau, and 23-year-old Fualaau are married and have two children together.


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*the image used in this post is a mug shot and is in the public domain.
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The Man Who Killed Gianni Versace

June 1st 2006 23:29
from www.wikipedia.com


Criminal Profile:
- Andrew Cunanan
- Born August 31, 1969
- Died July 23, 1997
- Ranked 449th, FBI’s 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list.


Andrew Cunanan was a 28 year old male from Rancho Bernardo who was described by his friends as intelligent and charming. He liked to party and was a well-known figure in the LA and San Francisco gay scene. But little did his friends know that this charismatic socialite would end up being one of the world’s most notorious criminals.

Between April and July 1997 Cunanan went on a murderous rampage across the US. His victims were initially people he knew and loved. Cunanan’s first victim was long-time friend, Jeffrey Trail whilst the second was his lover David Madson. Both were found with gunshot wounds to the head. As Cunanan attempted to dispose of the bodies and escape the police who were on his tail, anyone in his way became a victim. Cunanan’s third victim was a well-known real estate developper, Lee Miglin and in order to dispose of the body, Cunanan killed his fourth victim, William Reese, stole his truck and managed to escape.

Cunanan’s final and most spoken about victim was Gianni Versace. Versace was returning from a walk down Ocean Drive that July morning when Cunanan pulled out a semiautomatic pistol and gunned down the Italian designer outside his Miami Beach mansion.

One week later, Cunanan’s own body was found in a house bout in Miami. He killed 5 innocent people before finally turning the gun on himself. Why did he do it? What were his motives?

Many people thought at the time that Cunanan’s killing spree was a form of revenge on past lovers who had potentially infected him with the HIV virus. Indeed, he was known to engage in sexual services for older men in exchange for money. However, the autopsy report shows that Cunanan was in fact HIV negative. Maybe he didn’t know this. Or maybe he did. I guess no one will ever really know why he did it.


The photo of Andrew Cunanan used in this post is in the public domain because it is a work of the United States Federal Government.
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