Off the wire
• Australian woman sets sails for world record in Antarctica  • Tokyo shares open lower following Trump's inauguration speech  • One killed in small armed clashes in Myanmar northern state  • Myanmar president calls for best use of press freedom for peace, development  • Dollar drops to upper 113 yen level in early Tokyo trading  • O'Sullivan wins record seventh snooker Masters title  • Leverkusen upset Berlin 3-1 in German Bundesliga  • One out of five Australian children overweight  • Urgent: Samsung says faulty battery causes Galaxy Note 7 to catch fire  • 1st LD Writethru: Samsung says faulty battery causes Galaxy Note 7 to catch fire  
You are here: 　 Home

Australian bail law reform announced in wake of Melbourne CBD motorist rampage

Xinhua, January 23, 2017 Adjust font size:

The Victorian government has announced reforms to the state's bail system after a man on bail drove his car through dozens of pedestrians, killing six people.

Accused killer Dimitrious Gargasoulas was released by a bail justice just days before he allegedly stabbed his brother, who remains in a serious condition, and ploughed his car into pedestrians in the popular Bourke Street shopping mall in Melbourne's CBD.

Five people have died as a result of the incident, a three-month old baby boy, 10-year-old girl, 22-year-old woman, 31-year-old man and 32-year-old woman, with two others remaining in a critical condition.

Announcing changes to the state's controversial bail system, Premier Daniel Andrews said the tragedy would spark "legitimate questions" and "profound anger."

"All of us feel it. How could this have happened? How could such a tragedy have come to our city? How could so many lives end and so many lives change forever?" he said on Monday.

Andrews said that despite extensive changes he has made to the bail system in his two years in office, it was clear that "we need to go much further."

"We need to have a really close look at each and every element of our bail system and we need to make profound change for the future to keep Victoria safe," Andrews said.

He said an after-hours magistrates' court would be established to consider bail applications for people charged with violent crimes when police oppose bail.

Andrews said Paul Coghlan, a former Supreme Court judge and Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), would be consulted to provide urgent advice about additional changes to the bail system.

"This will be a full examination with the provision of urgent advice which will be provided to the Government by April 3 for legislative change, for reform, for the sort of reform that has to be made to keep Victorians safe and the sort of change that we owe these victims and their families," he said.

"We owe them the hard work, the determination and the completion of those changes." Endit