Latest news with #contempt
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Court throws out pro-Israel group's bid to refer journalists and editors for contempt over Antoinette Lattouf case
An application by a pro-Israel group to refer editors, reporters and lawyers from Nine Entertainment for contempt proceedings has been dismissed by the federal court. The editor of the Age, Patrick Elligett, and the Sydney Morning Herald, Bevan Shields, and two Age reporters, Michael Bachelard and Calum Jaspan, were among the eight individuals named in the application that alleged the newspapers had breached a suppression order made by the judge in the Antoinette Lattouf unlawful termination case. Justice Darryl Rangiah said on Friday the interlocutory application filed on 26 February seeking an order to make an application for punishment of the newspapers be dismissed. He ordered the pro-Israel group pay half of the legal costs of the newspapers. Rangiah granted a suppression order during the unlawful termination case in February to protect the identities and contact details of pro-Israel individuals who had contacted the ABC with complaints about Lattouf's employment. Lattouf was taken off air three days into a five-day casual contract in December 2023 after she posted on social media about the Israel-Gaza war. Last month, the federal court found the ABC breached the Fair Work Act when it terminated Lattouf for reasons including that she held a political opinion opposing the Israeli military campaign in Gaza. Sue Chrysanthou SC, acting for the pro-Israel group, told the court during the hearing the newspapers had ignored her legal letters and she sought a referral under federal court rule 42.16 'to consider whether proceedings should be instituted for the punishment of contempt'. Nine's lawyer Tom Blackburn SC told the hearing that the primary article in dispute was not in breach of the suppression order because it was published months before Lattouf took legal action, and therefore had no connection to the case. More details soon …
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Juror in Karen Read Case to Plead Guilty to Violating Grand Jury Secrecy
NEED TO KNOW Jessica M. Leslie, 34, will plead guilty to federal criminal contempt for leaking sealed grand jury information, including witness names and testimony, related to the Karen Read case Leslie's plea deal includes a one day prison sentence, deemed served, and 24 months of supervised release The plea news comes shortly after Read's acquittal on murder and manslaughter charges in the death of her boyfriend and Boston police officer John O'KeefeA woman on the grand jury in the high-profile Karen Read case will plead guilty to a federal charge after prosecutors claim she leaked the names of witnesses to the public while that information was under seal. Jessica M. Leslie, 34, was charged on Friday, July 11, with one count of criminal contempt and has agreed to plead guilty to the charge, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts said in a press release. She will make an initial appearance in federal court in Boston at a later date and a plea hearing has yet to be scheduled. According to the charging document obtained by PEOPLE, Leslie allegedly 'disclosed information presented to the grand jury to unauthorized individuals' between Aug. 11, 2022 and March 4, 2024. That information includes, 'the names of various witnesses appearing before the grand jury and the substance of their testimony and other evidence presented to the grand jury, all while said information was under seal and not subject to disclosure,' the charging document states. While the charging document does not mention Karen Read, sources confirmed to ABC News that the charge is related to that case. According to the plea agreement obtained by PEOPLE, Leslie agreed to a sentence of one day in prison, deemed served, and 24 months of supervised release. The plea news comes nearly a month after Read, 45, was acquitted of second-degree murder, manslaughter, and other related offenses in connection with the 2022 death of her boyfriend John O'Keefe. She was, however, found guilty of operating under the influence. She was accused of killing her boyfriend of two years, who was a Boston police officer, by drunkenly running him over after a night out together in January 2022. After her arrest, Read pleaded not guilty to all charges and staunchly maintained her innocence, saying she was the target of a law enforcement cover-up. Read was originally tried in 2024, but it ended in a mistrial in July of that year after the jury couldn't reach a verdict. She faced her second trial beginning in April 2025. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. After she was acquitted of the most serious charges on June 18, Read addressed her supporters outside the courthouse in Dedham, Mass. 'I would not be standing here without these amazing supporters who have supported me and my team financially and more importantly, emotionally," Read said as the crowd erupted into more cheers and applause, PEOPLE previously reported. She added, "No one has fought harder for justice for John O'Keefe than I have — and my team." Read the original article on People
CBS News
6 days ago
- CBS News
Massachusetts woman will plead guilty to leaking sealed federal grand jury information
Jessica Leslie, a 34-year-old Massachusetts woman, has agreed to plead guilty after prosecutors accused her of leaking federal grand jury information to unauthorized individuals. U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Leah Foley and Ted Docks, special agent in charged of FBI Boston, announced charges Tuesday against Leslie, who lives in Dracut. While she was a member of a federal grand jury, Leslie allegedly shared sealed information that included the names of various witnesses, the substance of their testimony, and other evidence. Prosecutors did not specify what case the grand jury was called for. Details were not disclosed regarding who Leslie leaked the information to. The information was allegedly leaked between Aug. 11, 2022 and March 4, 2024. Leslie was charged on Friday with one count of criminal contempt. She was facing prison time, supervised release, and a fine of $250,000 if convicted. Instead, the U.S. Attorney said Leslie agreed to plead guilty and will make an appearance in federal court at a later date. A plea hearing has not yet been scheduled. According to court documents, Leslie's plea agreement includes incarceration for one day that is deemed time served. She would not face a fine if the plea is accepted by the judge. Instead, she would be granted 24 months of supervised release and a mandatory special assessment of $100 that must be paid by sentencing. WBZ-TV attempted to reach Leslie's defense attorney for comment. He said he was in the process of speaking to his client and may have a comment in the near future.
The Guardian
07-07-2025
- The Guardian
Kyle and Jackie O face possible prosecution for contempt for comments made during Erin Patterson's triple murder trial
The Kyle and Jackie O Show has been referred for prosecution for contempt after comments made on air about the Erin Patterson case during her trial, including Kyle Sandilands saying, 'Just lock that bitch up.' Justice Christopher Beale also considered whether to take action for contempt against a 'Psychology of Serial Killers' event and Mamamia podcasters. The three matters were raised by Beale in June during Patterson's triple murder trial without the jury present. She was found guilty of all charges on Monday. The Office of Public Prosecutions declined to comment. On 16 June Beale told the Victorian supreme court in the absence of the jury: 'This morning the presenters of the Kyle and Jackie O radio show commented on this case during a news segment on their show. 'I have read a transcript of that commentary. I encourage all commentators to engage their brains before they open their mouths, as they may otherwise land themselves and their organisations in hot water. I will be referring this morning's matter to the Office of Public Prosecutions for contempt proceedings. 'Our media unit will continue to closely monitor all media in relation to commentary on this case, whether the commentary be shock jocks, so-called influencers, social media commentators or legacy media.' ARN Media, the owner of the station Kiis FM that broadcasts The Kyle and Jackie O Show, declined to comment. Guardian Australia reviewed a podcast of the show, which was available online on the afternoon Beale made his comments. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email In the podcast, Sandilands says after a news item about the trial, which erroneously said the jury were expected to retire to consider their verdict that week, 'Is this big lump still getting around, this big lump … miserable looking thing. 'Did she do it or what?' His co-host, Jackie Henderson, asks soon after: 'I mean, my question is: how strong is her case.' 'Not strong, not strong for her,' Sandilands responds. The pair, and a newsreader, continue to discuss the case, including mobile phone tower evidence, and Sandilands incorrectly says, 'Hasn't she done something like this before, with the mushrooms.' Sandilands goes on to say: 'But the rest of us already know, yeah, you fuck … come on, bro. You can tell by looking at her, just lock that bitch up.' Henderson can be heard laughing while Sandilands speaks about the case, before he says: 'Takes too long. Court should be in and out, decided and moved on.' Henderson then says: 'Well, until it's your turn one day, where you're accused, right?' 'What am I going to get accused of?' Sandilands responds. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion The section of the podcast in which the trial is discussed goes for about 90 seconds, and contains several bleepng sounds, as if words were being removed. On 2 June Beale told the court that he had received an email from the defence about an event that had been held in Melbourne the previous Saturday. Beale did not mention the event but Guardian Australia understands it was The Psychology of Serial Killers, which was held at Hamer Hall. It is unclear what was said that raised concerns but it is understood that comments about the Patterson case were made. Beale said on 2 June that he would refer the event to the protonotary for investigation for possible sub judice contempt. The following day he said he wished to ask the jurors whether any of them had attended an event in Melbourne, without naming the event. 'I don't think ignorance is bliss in this situation and … it is better to know than not to know.' None of the jurors had attended. The event's producer did not respond to a request for comment. On 5 June Beale told the court he would consider proceedings for sub judice contempt against Mamamia 'at a more convenient time' after he listened to a podcast which had been released the previous day but had since been removed. 'The discussion was full of highly prejudicial expressions of opinion,' he said. 'I won't repeat them here. After being directed to remove the podcast, it has been taken down. 'I remind media and podcasters that ignorance of the law is no excuse, and I remind them that the court's media team will continue to monitor coverage of this trial to safeguard the trial's integrity.' Mamamia did not respond to a request for comment.
The Independent
02-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
‘Premature' to decide whether MI5 should face contempt probe, judges rule
MI5 could still face contempt of court proceedings over incorrect evidence provided in a bid for an injunction against the BBC pending the outcome of an investigation, judges at the High Court have said. In 2022, then-attorney general Suella Braverman went to the High Court to stop the broadcaster airing a programme that would name a man who has allegedly abused two women and is a covert human intelligence source. An injunction was made in April 2022 to prevent the corporation disclosing information likely to identify the man, referred to only as 'X', though Mr Justice Chamberlain said the BBC could still air the programme and the key issues, without identifying him. But at a hearing earlier this year, the London court was told that part of the written evidence provided by MI5 was false. Lawyers for the BBC told the court the 'low threshold' for launching contempt proceedings against MI5 and a number of individuals, for not being fully transparent with the court, had been met. In a decision on Wednesday, the Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr said that a further investigation should be carried out and that it would be 'premature to reach any conclusions on whether to initiate contempt proceedings against any individual'. The senior judge said that the new investigation should be carried out on behalf of the Investigatory Powers Commissioner. Baroness Carr, sitting with Dame Victoria Sharp and Mr Justice Chamberlain, also said: 'The investigations carried out by MI5 to date suffer from serious procedural deficiencies. 'Their conclusions cannot presently be relied on.' The written witness evidence, now accepted to have been false, said the Security Service had maintained its policy of neither confirming nor denying (NCND) the identities of intelligence sources. However, MI5 disclosed X's status to a BBC reporter, but then said it had kept to the NCND policy. Lawyers on behalf of MI5 apologised earlier this year and carried out two investigations, which concluded the false evidence was given due to a series of mistakes with no deliberate attempt by any staff member to mislead. In Wednesday's 26-page ruling, the three judges said they were not 'satisfied' with the investigations or their conclusions. They added: 'It is regrettable that MI5's explanations to this court were given in a piecemeal and unsatisfactory way — and only following the repeated intervention of the court.' In the programme about X, the BBC alleged the intelligence source was a misogynistic neo-Nazi who attacked his girlfriend, referred to by the pseudonym Beth, with a machete. Beth is bringing related legal action in the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT), with the judges finding on Wednesday that the specialist tribunal – which investigates allegations against the UK intelligence services – was also misled. Baroness Carr later said: 'Whilst we accept the genuineness of the apologies proffered on behalf of MI5, the fact remains that this case has raised serious issues. 'MI5 gave false evidence to three courts. This was compounded by inadequate attempts to explain the circumstances.' Following the ruling, MI5 director-general Sir Ken McCallum said: 'I wish to repeat my full and unreserved apology for the errors made in these proceedings. 'We take our duty to provide truthful, accurate and complete information with the utmost seriousness. 'Resolving this matter to the court's satisfaction is of the highest priority for MI5 and we are committed to co-operating fully with the Investigatory Powers Commissioner's Office and the court. 'MI5 is now embarked on a programme of work to learn all lessons and implement changes to ensure this does not happen again. This programme will build in external challenge and expertise – with independent assurance to the Home Secretary on our progress. 'MI5's job is to keep the country safe. Maintaining the trust of the courts is essential to that mission.' A BBC spokesperson said: 'We are pleased this decision has been reached and that the key role of our journalist Daniel De Simone in bringing this to light has been acknowledged by the judges. 'We believe our journalism on this story has always been in the highest public interest.'
