“You must not abandon the hope of the victims.” – Judge Tomoko Akane, the President of the International Criminal Court, begging the European Union on 19 March 2025.
THE FERRA WEAPONS trial has gone on for seven days without a single witness being called. No clear orders have been given by Magistrate Julian NOUD who has been spending his time nursing an incompetent prosecutor with a penchant for colourful belts, the Clarence Darrow of the Brisbane Magistrates Courts. Magistrate NOUD is obsessed with legal argument about particulars of the charge and the admissibility of evidence provided by weapons manufacturer, Ferra Engineering, staff and police.
These arguments have provided police prosecutor Harry COBURN with the opportunity to fix up the errors made in his ‘brief of evidence’ and in a ‘statement of particulars’ that is defective on its face.
During one morning, it became apparent that at least one of the defendants has a clear understanding of the evidence being used against them. Margaret Pestorius rose to her feet, after a long discussion between the magistrate and two counsel for other defendants, to say: “I feel that I am being excluded.”
How can a fair trial be conducted under these circumstances? Worse still the courts appear to be operating in a bubble, blind to the realities of what the Ferra Engineering and Boeing weapons are being used for, the slaughter of innocent Palestinian people asking only to live in peace in their own land. Only this week, 15 paramedics were executed in South Gaza by Israel’s barbarians soaked in the blood of children.
Legal argument continues for the eight day on 3 Aug 2025 at the Brisbane Magistrates Court on George Street CBD. Will the trial proper commence on that day?
The Hon Sir Gerard Brennan, former chief Justice of Australia said: “if the courts treat people with contempt, they will find that the people will treat them with contempt”.
May Day 2024 Trial postponed for 10th time
In another trial arising from police attack on unionists protesting the genocide on May Day 2024, a hearing was meant to be held today, but is now postponed 2.5 months because the police and prosecutors can’t do the most basic aspects of their jobs. I wanted to get this done today and now has it hanging over my head again, so I’m very unhappy with this outcome. It would be good to get more support in court when the hearing eventually does go ahead on 31 July 2025.
The magistrate refused an application for a permanent stay of the proceedings because they are an abuse of process. After the hearing today one of the police witnesses Jake Trelfall told supporters that he had been reading the Workers BushTelegraph. It took police six months to execute the warrant for my arrest. One supporter speculated that police had targeted me because of Workers BushTelegraph reports of the Ferra and Boeing genocide trials that have been going on in the Brisbane magistrates courts this year. Readers know how the saying goes just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean you’re wrong.
Ian Curr
13 May 2025