WA Newspaper's contempt finding

In July 2004, Western Australia's largest circulating daily newspaper, The West Australian, identified a nine-year-old ward of the State, thereby breaching a statutory provision. It described him as a "suburban terrorist" and a "menace to society". A year later the Supreme C...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Fernandez, Joseph
Format: Journal Article
Published: Law Society of WA 2005
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/38475
Description
Summary:In July 2004, Western Australia's largest circulating daily newspaper, The West Australian, identified a nine-year-old ward of the State, thereby breaching a statutory provision. It described him as a "suburban terrorist" and a "menace to society". A year later the Supreme Court of Western Australia reminded the media that such coverage can also be a menace to society and imposed $20,000 in fines for contempt of court. In this article the author surveys contempt law from a media perspective and considers the case in question.