Lawyer locked up Ivan Milat calls for harsher sentences

A prominent state barrister who had serial killer Ivan Milat jailed has called for prosecutors to hand out harsher sentences for criminals in a series of leaked emails.

Senior Crown Prosecutor Mark Tedeschi also urged lawyers to stop agreeing to soft deals after a series of light sentences ignited outrage among the public, including a recent decision to spare a 55-year-old paedophile from jail because of his high cholesterol.

‘There have been recent ­examples of inappropriate concessions where the evidence did not warrant a concession being made,’ he said on December 6, according to The Daily Telegraph.

‘Inappropriate concessions should not be made.’

Senior Crown Prosecutor Mark Tedeschi (left) also urged lawyers to stop agreeing to soft deals after a series of light sentences ignited outrage among the public

The prominent state barrister  jailed serial killer Ivan Milat (pictured) in the 1990s

The prominent state barrister jailed serial killer Ivan Milat (pictured) in the 1990s

The president of the Australian Association of Crown Prosecutors warned prosecutors not to agree to facts that did not match the evidence and to question defence lawyers’ claims. 

Milat, who is the country’s worst serial killer, is serving seven consecutive life sentences at Goulburn prison for the murder of seven young backpackers between 1989 and 1992.

Milat buried his victims in the Belanglo State Forest, south of Sydney. 

The identity of the Dubbo paedophile who avoided a 50-year prison term after pleading guilty to historic sex crimes involving two young girls has been protected after District Court Judge John North granted a suppression order on his name.

In criminal proceedings, the identities of offenders are usually only withheld to ensure those of the victims are not revealed.

But Judge North ruled this week the victims could be publicly named, while the paedophile’s identity must remain secret, The Daily Telegraph reported.

The 55-year-old Dubbo man was spared jail last month after pleaded guilty to historic sex crimes involving two young girls, with District Court Judge John North (pictured) granting a suppression order on his name

The 55-year-old Dubbo man was spared jail last month after pleaded guilty to historic sex crimes involving two young girls, with District Court Judge John North (pictured) granting a suppression order on his name

Both victims have spoken of their outrage at the decision to suppress the man’s name and say the justice system has let them down.

‘I truly feel from my heart that they have failed me and that the system is protecting a paedophile,’ one told the paper.

‘The initial case took four years in court and they decided not jail him. To have it so he can’t even be named is heartbreaking. This man has ruined my life and he completely gets away with it.’

Another victim, who started being abused when she was just eight years old, slammed the decision.

‘I am shocked that we are being named but he isn’t… There are other victims and they need to know about this case,’ she said.

NSW Attorney-General Mark Speakman told the paper he was investigating the reasons behind the decision to suppress the offender’s name.

Both victims have spoken of their outrage at the decision to suppress the man's name and say the justice system has let them down (stock image)

Both victims have spoken of their outrage at the decision to suppress the man’s name and say the justice system has let them down (stock image)

The man was 19 years old when he began abusing the girls, aged eight and 10, between 1980 and 1987, the paper previously reported.

Despite facing 54 years’ jail for his crimes, Judge North handed him a two-year suspended sentence with no supervision order, listing a series of bizarre reasons for why the man should receive credit.

Judge North spoke of the offender’s ‘good character’ and naivety because of his lack of sex education, as well as his sleep deprivation over the case.

He noted the man’s diabetes, high cholesterol and chronic kidney disease would be difficult to treat in prison, where Judge North said he would have to be contained in isolation. 



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