Gay rights MP charged with kiddy porn

[jack404]

Labour are the socialist scumbags here Liberal Party is the conservative party here

South Australian Labor MP Bernard Finnigan has been ordered to stand trial on child pornography charges, after a magistrate refused to find he had no case to answer.

Magistrate Simon Smart also refused an application to continue suppressing the name of the 39-year-old Upper House MP, who served briefly as a minister in former premier Mike Rann's government.

Finnigan's barrister, Michael Abbott, QC, had argued the MP had no case to answer in relation to aggravated offences which alleged the victims were aged under 14 at the time.

But on Monday, in Adelaide Magistrates Court Mr Smart rejected the submissions and committed Finnigan to trial in the District Court on October 29.

He originally faced 14 charges, but as some counts were alternatives and not aggravated matters the prosecution asked for Finnigan to face trial on six counts.

Finnigan then pleaded not guilty to the charges, which mostly relate to claims he took steps to access child pornography between August 2010 and April 2011.

Mr Abbott told the magistrate he had instructions to apply for a judicial review in the Supreme Court of the no-case-to-answer decision.

He said the magistrate had conceded that the current wording of the relevant legislation needed amendment.

In those circumstances, he contended Finnigan's name should continue to be suppressed - an application opposed by the prosecution and a lawyer for Channel 7.

Finnigan told reporters outside the court he would vigorously defend the charges.

He did not answer questions about whether he would stand down from parliament.

After the magistrate's decision, South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill called on Finnigan to resign his upper house seat.

Mr Weatherill said the MP's position was no longer tenable.

"The criminal court process provides for a presumption of innocence, a separate set of considerations apply to his public office," the premier said.

"Given the nature of these crimes and his public association with them, it's my judgment that he could not effectively discharge that office.

"This is why I am calling on him to resign."

[targetacqmgt]

Question what is the age of consent in Oz? Here it is state by state. For example in NC it is 16. At one point in Alaska it was 13 - when the pipeline came in I THINK it went to 16.

Kiddy porn users in THIS country get charged at the Federal level and at least LIFE on the offender list IF they survive their jail time.

Pissing in public (a misdemenor in most juridictions) will get you on an offender list for 10- 15 years.

A man charged with Statuory rape of a teen that he latter marries will be on the offender list for life. Even if the age diff might be one to two years.

Oh the alleged offender is considered GUILTY and must prove his/her innocence-that is how it works despite the Constitution Bill of Rights.

Expost facto changes to the rules of being on an offender list apply. Usually this means some henious crime is commited by a perp and the legislators change the rules under public pressure.

I am NOT defending the real bad guys they are sick. I believe in civil commitment, ie permanent commitment to a prison mental hospital with virtually no chance of ever being released.