Magistrate/prosecutor row over

Print date: 9 November 2006

Magistrate/prosecutor row over

Antoine Bloemen - making the headlines yet again.

 

 

The disagreement between the Kimberley's colourful magistrate Antoine Bloemen and police prosecutor Craig Haven is over.
A stand-off between the two forced the cancellation of the Magistrates Court in Kununurra last week.
The dispute between the two started when Mr Bloemen announced that he had no confidence in the police prosecutor.
Mr Haven then called on Mr Bloemen to disqualify himself from cases that involved both of them.
He said this was because of a possible perception of bias.
As the standoff continued WA Chief Magistrate Steven Heath and the Police Deputy Commissioner Chris Dawson made an emergency trip to Broome in an effort to belt out a compromise.
It was finally announced that both men had agreed to 'work in a respectful and responsible manner'.
Attorney-General Jim McGinty then defended Mr Bloemen in State Parliament.
Opposition's justice spokeswoman Sue Walker asked Mr McGinty whether the reappointment of the Belgian-born magistrate was a mistake.
Mr McGinty told the house Mr Bloemen should be applauded for his 'legendary' efforts to divert young Aboriginal offenders from crime.
"Magistrate Bloemen in the Kimberley is an innovative person who deals with matters affecting Aboriginal justice in a way that I believe is designed to try and look at some of the underlying problems of offending in a way that other judicial officers in this state have not been prepared to do," he said.

 

 
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