8/9/2006
Australia: Former Judge Busted for Lying About Speed Camera TicketFormer Australian Supreme Court justice faces perjury charges over $59 speed camera ticket.
Police in New South Wales, Australia yesterday confirmed they are investigating possible charges of perjury against a former Supreme Court Justice. Justice Marcus Einfeld, 66, retired from the bench in 2001 but continues a distinguished career as a humanitarian. That career is now threatened by a speed camera ticket.
On January 8, 2006, Einfeld's silver Lexus was photographed driving at 60km/h (37 MPH) in a 50km/h zone (31 MPH) in Mosman. Einfeld was mailed a A$77 (US $59) ticket, but he claimed Professor Teresa Brennan, an old friend, had driven the car while he was out of town. The Downing Centre Local Court accepted his claim and dismissed the ticket on Monday.
The Sydney Daily Telegraph looked further into the matter and found Brennan had died in 2003. Einfeld maintains he was not in Sydney at the time of the offense and that it was another old friend who had access to his automobile that was driving.
Justice Einfeld was Queen's Counsel, Judge of the Supreme Court and Judge of the Federal Court of Australia. For his humanitarian efforts he was named UN Peace Laureate in 2002. Einfeld was also Foundation President of the Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission and an Australian representative at the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva.