Peter Faris QC is now representing Kathy who alleges she was raped by Bill Shorten in 1986. This could be a real game changer as Mr Faris is no rookie and is regarded as a very successful criminal lawyer. He is also a former Chairman of the National Crime Authority.
Until now Kathy has by and large been doing the best she can by herself and reliant on the police investigation. As we know on the 21st of August 2014 the police announced that they would not be charging Bill Shorten as they were told by the Office of Public Prosecution that they believed there was no reasonable prospect of success.
Now Kathy has Peter Faris QC in her corner the chances of her allegations being heard in court at least to some degree have greatly increased and it has been reported that Mr Faris has taken the first few steps.
The Australian reported on Monday that “The woman has recruited high-profile barrister Peter Faris QC, who has informed the Victorian Director of Public Prosecutions, John Champion, that his client wants to review the DPP’s decision not to press charges”
and: “Mr Faris has written to Mr Champion seeking documents that appear to lay the groundwork for further proceedings aimed at challenging the legal basis for the DPP’s decision. Mr Faris asked the DPP to confirm the nature of his decision, whether he was prepared to reconsider and whether he would provide the reasons why Mr Shorten was not charged. The letter, sent on Friday, seeks access to the police brief and any other material Mr Champion used when making his decision.” (Click here to read more)
Chris Merritt who is legal Affairs editor at The Australian was also interviewed by Ben Fordham on 2GB on Monday which is worth a listen. (Click here to listen)
Peter Faris QC
Once the matter hits court in some shape or form the evidence then becomes part of the court records and I would then expect to see a lot more of the evidence in the mainstream media as they will have no excuse not to report it as most have dedicated court reporters.
Bill Shorten and his Lawyers
Mr Shorten and his lawyers would be extremely worried people at the moment. It is one thing to out muscle and out manoeuvre Kathy but it is nearly impossible to do that with a quality barrister or lawyer and I have no doubt that Peter Faris QC is up to the challenge.
Bill Shorten’s position as alternative Prime Minister is what makes his position so difficult. Mr Shorten does not need to lose in a court of law for his career to be destroyed as losing in the court of public opinion will end his career just as easily if not easier.
That is what puts Mr Faris in such a strong position even though the case is a difficult one. The length of time that has passed does make it harder to prosecute the case but not impossible as we have seen with the Child Abuse Royal Commission and cases of similar age where offenders have been jailed.
I like Kathy’s story as it shows someone who does not give up and I know a lot of the readers of this site have the same fighting spirit. Kathy has a lot better chance of having a win in this case than some people give her credit for and even if she doesn’t she has already won in many people’s eyes given her spirit.
I have written numerous posts about this subject (click here to read) and probably would have waited a while to write another but I thought it was important to write this post and give Kathy the support she deserves. The reason being is that only the 2 media organisations listed above wrote a story on the case this week which is disappointing given the public interest. But as long as Kathy and Mr Faris keep on pushing the rest of the MSM cannot ignore it forever and I know Kathy has a lot of support on social media which counts just as much.
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