Patrick Power (Australian)
Encyclopedia
Patrick John Piers Power, SC
(born 12 May 1952) is a former Senior Counsel in New South Wales
, Australia
. He was Deputy Senior Crown Prosecutor
at the NSW Department of Public Prosecutions (DPP). In May 2007 he was convicted of possessing child pornography.
in Hornsby
, an Anglican Church school. He obtained his law degree at the Australian National University
, his Masters degree at the University of Sydney
and accomplished an MBA at the University of New South Wales
. He returned to Sydney Uni to work on his PhD
. He completed his PhD thesis at the ANU on comparative restorative justice practice.
http://www.djj.nsw.gov.au/yjac.htm
containing evidence of files associated with child pornography
including 31 video files and links to additional material on a removable hard drive.
The technician notified his superiors and Power was subsequently arrested on 6 July 2006. He was then also suspended from his duties, but remained on full pay until his formal resignation in January 2007. His annual base remuneration amounted to $ 221,000. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,19927698-1702,00.html
Power pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography during his court appearance at Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court
. Victoria
n chief Crown prosecutor Jeremy Rapke said Power had collected in excess of 29,000 pornographic images including 433 pictures and 31 videos depicting children. He said, they were of "the worst and highest grade pornography" involving "humiliation and sadistic bestiality".
Fifty-nine members of the community, including former colleagues provided references of Power's good character to the court. This included a statement by the state's most senior Crown Prosecutor, Mark Tedeschi QC, a colleague of Power's of 26 years.
Power's practicing certificate was suspended by the NSW Bar Association
. He was released from gaol on 18 January 2008.
On 17 June, the New South Wales Court of Appeal found Patrick Power guilty of Professional Misconduct, that he was not a fit and proper person to remain on the Roll of Legal Practitioners, and that his name be removed from the Roll of Legal Practitioners.
Senior Counsel
The title of Senior Counsel or State Counsel is given to a senior barrister or advocate in some countries, typically equivalent to the title "Queen's Counsel" used in Commonwealth Realms...
(born 12 May 1952) is a former Senior Counsel in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. He was Deputy Senior Crown Prosecutor
Prosecutor
The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...
at the NSW Department of Public Prosecutions (DPP). In May 2007 he was convicted of possessing child pornography.
Early life
According to Who's Who In Australia, Power was educated at Barker CollegeBarker College
Barker College is an independent Anglican, day and boarding school, located in Hornsby, a North Shore suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Founded in 1890 by the Reverend Henry Plume at Kurrajong Heights, Barker is an all-boys school from Kindergarten to Year 9, and co-educational from...
in Hornsby
Hornsby, New South Wales
* Highest Maximum Temperature: 42 °C* Lowest Maximum Temperature: 4.9 °C* Warmest Month: January* Coolest Month: July* Highest Precipitation: February* Lowest Precipitation: July-Notable residents:...
, an Anglican Church school. He obtained his law degree at the Australian National University
Australian National University
The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...
, his Masters degree at the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
and accomplished an MBA at the University of New South Wales
University of New South Wales
The University of New South Wales , is a research-focused university based in Kensington, a suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
. He returned to Sydney Uni to work on his PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
. He completed his PhD thesis at the ANU on comparative restorative justice practice.
Legal career
Power was admitted as a barrister and worked for 16 years as a prosecutor in serious criminal cases (including sex cases). He was also the chairperson of the New South Wales Youth Justice Advisory Committee. He was instrumental in promoting and helping draft the Young Offenders Act 1997 (NSW) which instituted restorative justice conferencing for young offenders. He was a consultant to the New South Wales Government on the implementation of restorative justice processes for adults.http://www.djj.nsw.gov.au/yjac.htm
Arrest and conviction
On 4 July 2006 Patrick Power requested the information technology department of his office to repair his personal computer which had been experiencing technical problems. During repairs, the technician examining the computer discovered a sub-directory (folder)Computer file management
The term computer file management refers to the manipulation of documents and data in files on a computer.----Specifically, one may create a new file or edit an existing file and save it; open or load a pre-existing file into memory; or close a file without saving it. Additionally, one may group...
containing evidence of files associated with child pornography
Child pornography
Child pornography refers to images or films and, in some cases, writings depicting sexually explicit activities involving a child...
including 31 video files and links to additional material on a removable hard drive.
The technician notified his superiors and Power was subsequently arrested on 6 July 2006. He was then also suspended from his duties, but remained on full pay until his formal resignation in January 2007. His annual base remuneration amounted to $ 221,000. http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,19927698-1702,00.html
Power pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography during his court appearance at Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court
Downing Centre, Sydney
The Downing Centre is a major courthouse complex in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It features Local Courts, the District Court of New South Wales and a law library known as the Downing Centre Library....
. Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
n chief Crown prosecutor Jeremy Rapke said Power had collected in excess of 29,000 pornographic images including 433 pictures and 31 videos depicting children. He said, they were of "the worst and highest grade pornography" involving "humiliation and sadistic bestiality".
Fifty-nine members of the community, including former colleagues provided references of Power's good character to the court. This included a statement by the state's most senior Crown Prosecutor, Mark Tedeschi QC, a colleague of Power's of 26 years.
Sentencing and release
On 9 May 2007, Power was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment, to serve a minimum of eight months, but was released on bail when his lawyers lodged an appeal against sentence. The appeal was dismissed on 14 June 2007 and Power was imprisoned for seven months. A case against the Daily Telegraph was withdrawn by the Law Society on 20 November 2007 because an apology had been printed by that newspaper.Power's practicing certificate was suspended by the NSW Bar Association
Bar association
A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...
. He was released from gaol on 18 January 2008.
On 17 June, the New South Wales Court of Appeal found Patrick Power guilty of Professional Misconduct, that he was not a fit and proper person to remain on the Roll of Legal Practitioners, and that his name be removed from the Roll of Legal Practitioners.