R v NW
NW is a 77 year old man who was charged with five offences relating to animal cruelty. NW did not understand the nature of the charges against him. His dogs were not in good condition but this was due to them being incredibly old rather than badly cared for. NW’s first lawyer advised him to plead guilty despite the fact that he was not guilty of the charges. NW was convicted, and appealed to the District Court of New South Wales to reverse his original pleas of guilty.
Matthew Berrell took over NW’s case for the appeal. Berrell was successful in his application to traverse the guilty pleas. The matter was remitted back to the Local Court and Berrell appeared on behalf of NW for sentence.
The prosecution agreed to withdraw four of the charges made against NW, and he pled guilty to the final charge. NW received a Good Behaviour bond for this charge.
This was a great result for NW as he was able to clear his criminal record, and also was allowed to have his dog back.