- 06 Nov 2003 07:32
#41813
Hanson wins, to be released
November 6, 2003
PAULINE Hanson and One Nation co-founder David Ettridge will be released from jail after Queensland's Court of Appeal today overturned their convictions for electoral fraud.
Chief Justice Paul de Jersey told a stunned courtroom that Ms Hanson and Mr Ettridge had had their convictions overturned and would not face a retrial.
Ms Hanson and Mr Ettridge had sought to overturn the verdict of a Brisbane District Court jury which found them guilty in August.
Chief judge Patsy Wolfe jailed them for three years without parole after they were both convicted of one count of electoral fraud.
Ms Hanson was also convicted of a further two counts of dishonestly obtaining almost $500,000 in electoral funding after the party's 11-seat sweep at the 1998 state election.
They were accused of lying to get the party registered in 1997 ahead of the poll by using a list of more than 500 members of a support movement and not the political party.
The appeal was decided by Justice de Jersey, Queensland Court of Appeal president Margaret McMurdo and Supreme Court judge Geoffrey Davies.
Ms Hanson and Mr Ettridge, who have spent 78 nights in jail, are expected to be released from prison tonight.
Ms Hanson's sister Judy Smith said outside court that the former One Nation leader should never have been tried in the first place. "I'm angry my sister has spent 11 weeks in jail," Mrs Smith told reporters.
"The Australian people should be asking `please explain', this has cost taxpayers millions of dollars."
Justice de Jersey said the court had set aside both sentences and the indictments would be amended so that an acquittal would be recorded.
The appeal court found the prosecution's case that One Nation supporters had been wrongly passed off as political party members was flawed.
Mrs Smith said Ms Hanson's daughter Lee would be picking her up from the Brisbane Women's Prison.
She said that she had spoken with her sister earlier today and they had made plans.
"I know my sister, she'll want to go out on the town," she said.
Outside court, Ms Hanson's solicitor Chris Nyst said there were a lot of questions to be asked about how society treated people who dissented from mainstream views.
"It is one thing to disagree, but it is another to victimise and vilify somebody," Mr Nyst said.
He said there was simply no case against Ms Hanson.
Mr Ettridge's solicitor Andrew Boe said this was an example of what went wrong when someone was legally unrepresented in court.
Mr Ettridge represented himself during the lengthy trial.
Several supporters left the court jubilantly saying, "Well done Pauline we're glad you're out."
AAP
http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,7787014%255E2,00.html
November 6, 2003
PAULINE Hanson and One Nation co-founder David Ettridge will be released from jail after Queensland's Court of Appeal today overturned their convictions for electoral fraud.
Chief Justice Paul de Jersey told a stunned courtroom that Ms Hanson and Mr Ettridge had had their convictions overturned and would not face a retrial.
Ms Hanson and Mr Ettridge had sought to overturn the verdict of a Brisbane District Court jury which found them guilty in August.
Chief judge Patsy Wolfe jailed them for three years without parole after they were both convicted of one count of electoral fraud.
Ms Hanson was also convicted of a further two counts of dishonestly obtaining almost $500,000 in electoral funding after the party's 11-seat sweep at the 1998 state election.
They were accused of lying to get the party registered in 1997 ahead of the poll by using a list of more than 500 members of a support movement and not the political party.
The appeal was decided by Justice de Jersey, Queensland Court of Appeal president Margaret McMurdo and Supreme Court judge Geoffrey Davies.
Ms Hanson and Mr Ettridge, who have spent 78 nights in jail, are expected to be released from prison tonight.
Ms Hanson's sister Judy Smith said outside court that the former One Nation leader should never have been tried in the first place. "I'm angry my sister has spent 11 weeks in jail," Mrs Smith told reporters.
"The Australian people should be asking `please explain', this has cost taxpayers millions of dollars."
Justice de Jersey said the court had set aside both sentences and the indictments would be amended so that an acquittal would be recorded.
The appeal court found the prosecution's case that One Nation supporters had been wrongly passed off as political party members was flawed.
Mrs Smith said Ms Hanson's daughter Lee would be picking her up from the Brisbane Women's Prison.
She said that she had spoken with her sister earlier today and they had made plans.
"I know my sister, she'll want to go out on the town," she said.
Outside court, Ms Hanson's solicitor Chris Nyst said there were a lot of questions to be asked about how society treated people who dissented from mainstream views.
"It is one thing to disagree, but it is another to victimise and vilify somebody," Mr Nyst said.
He said there was simply no case against Ms Hanson.
Mr Ettridge's solicitor Andrew Boe said this was an example of what went wrong when someone was legally unrepresented in court.
Mr Ettridge represented himself during the lengthy trial.
Several supporters left the court jubilantly saying, "Well done Pauline we're glad you're out."
AAP
http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,7787014%255E2,00.html
- By litwin
- By wat0n