National Criminal Lawyers

21/10/2026

Your AVO does not mention contact. Your bail says no contact. So can you text her about the kids?

You are bound by both, at the same time. Neither one "wins". The stricter condition is the one that controls what you can safely do.

Here is what you need to know:
• An AVO only sets out what is prohibited under that order. It is not a permission slip, and your bail conditions operate independently
• If your bail says no contact, replying to a message can lead to arrest and revocation of bail, even if the AVO itself does not ban contact
• If she contacts you first, you still cannot safely reply. The protected person commits no offence by contacting you, but you can
• Verbal reassurance from police or from her does not change a written order. Only a court or an authorised bail authority can vary it
• During one weekend operation in August 2026, NSW Police ran 12,054 ADVO compliance checks and 1,497 bail compliance checks. Compliance is being actively checked

If your AVO and bail conditions say different things, do not guess. Apply to have them varied through the proper channels, and get advice before you act.

National Criminal Lawyers acts in AVO, bail and domestic violence matters across NSW.

Call 1800 CRIM LAW or visit nationalcriminallawyers.com.au for a free consultation.

Learn more: https://www.nationalcriminallawyers.com.au/my-avo-says-i-can-contact-her-but-my-bail-says-i-cant-which-one-wins/

19/10/2026

Not guilty after a defended hearing. ADVO application withdrawn and dismissed.

On 19 October 2026, National Criminal Lawyers secured a not guilty finding on a domestic violence related stalking and intimidation charge at Parramatta Local Court.

Here is what this result shows:

* A police brief is not proof. Every element of the charge has to be established beyond reasonable doubt, and a defended hearing tests that evidence
* Phone records, texts and screenshots can be powerful evidence, but context, completeness and who sent what all matter
* A not guilty finding after a hearing is different from a charge being withdrawn before trial. The court determined the prosecution had not proved its case
* The criminal charge and the ADVO application are separate. Here, the ADVO application was withdrawn and dismissed as well
* The maximum penalty for this offence is 5 years imprisonment, so early advice matters

Every case turns on its own evidence, and past results do not guarantee the same outcome elsewhere.

Read the full case study via the link in our bio. National Criminal Lawyers defends stalking, intimidation, domestic violence and ADVO matters across NSW.

Call 1800 CRIM LAW for a free consultation.

15/10/2026

Three charges. Three withdrawn. No finding of guilt on any of them.

On 1 October 2026, Burwood Local Court recorded three serious domestic violence related charges as withdrawn and dismissed. National Criminal Lawyers represented the client from the start.

Here is what every person facing allegations like these should know:
• A police allegation is not a finding of fact. Every charge has to be proved on its own evidence
• Withdrawn and dismissed is not a not guilty verdict, but it ends the prosecution of that charge without a conviction
• The criminal case and an ADVO application are separate. Dealing with one does not automatically resolve the other
• A complainant asking for charges to be dropped does not guarantee they will be. The decision rests with the prosecution
• Get legal advice before you decide whether to speak to police

Every case turns on its own facts, and past results do not guarantee future outcomes.

National Criminal Lawyers defends domestic violence charges and ADVO proceedings across NSW.

Read the Full case Study: https://www.nationalcriminallawyers.com.au/domestic-violence-charges-withdrawn-burwood/

Call 1800 CRIM LAW or visit nationalcriminallawyers.com.au for a free consultation.

09/10/2026

🛑 Stop saying dumb sh*t to the Police!

What do you NEED to say?
What SHOULD you say?
When should you STOP talking?

When does the Police interview and recording start?

What’s the dumbest thing you can do when Police try and talk with you?

National Criminal Lawyer’s Principal Lawyer Michael Moussa explains the best strategy for you to use from the moment the Police arrive – not just down at the station!

📞 1800 CRIM LAW
🌐 nationalcriminallawyers.com.au

Call now to connect with business.

28/09/2026

A District Court appeal is a rehearing. The Court of Criminal Appeal is a completely different process. Here is what you need to understand before pursuing one.

Many people assume an appeal to the CCA works the same way as a District Court appeal. It does not, and the differences matter enormously:
• Only a pure question of law comes as of right. Every other conviction ground, and every sentence appeal, requires the court's leave. A significant proportion of applications fail at this stage

• The CCA does not rehear the evidence or see the witnesses again. On conviction, it asks whether an identifiable legal error occurred. On sentence, it asks whether there was specific error, or whether the outcome was manifestly excessive, a genuinely high threshold requiring the sentence to fall outside the range reasonably open

• The court can increase a sentence if it considers a more severe one was warranted. This is rarely used on an offender's own appeal, but the power exists and makes every appeal carry real risk

• Fresh evidence is admitted only in narrow circumstances. Evidence of rehabilitation since sentencing is often received, but it does not by itself create a ground of appeal

• Vague grounds fail. A general sense that the result was unfair is not enough. Grounds must identify precisely what went wrong

Before spending time and money on an appeal, an honest assessment of whether real error exists is essential.

National Criminal Lawyers advises on and runs appeals to the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal.

Read the full article: https://www.nationalcriminallawyers.com.au/taking-it-further-appealing-from-the-district-court-to-the-court-of-criminal-appeal/

Call 1800 CRIM LAW or visit nationalcriminallawyers.com.au for a free consultation.

28/09/2026

Thirteen plants located. Only three viable. Agreed facts negotiated before sentence. No conviction recorded. Here is how NCL approached this matter at Moss Vale Local Court.

Our 69-year-old client, a first offender, was charged with cultivating prohibited plants at his rural property. Here is what made the difference:

• NCL did not simply accept the prosecution's proposed version of events. Detailed representations were made so the agreed facts recorded that only three plants were viable and growing

• The agreed facts also recorded a rudimentary setup with no sophisticated equipment and no indicators of supply, consistent with personal use

• NCL identified potential issues with alleged admissions made during a telephone conversation with police, including whether the client had been cautioned before questioning

• The client's personal circumstances were placed before the court, including his age, clean record, remorse and his commitment to counselling and lawful, medically supervised alternatives

• The court found him guilty but did not proceed to conviction, imposing a 12-month Conditional Release Order

Personal use does not make cultivation lawful, and this result does not predict the outcome of another case. But the precise factual basis of a plea can change how the offending is presented to the court, which is why early advice matters.

National Criminal Lawyers represents clients facing drug offences across NSW.

Read the full Case Study: https://www.nationalcriminallawyers.com.au/cannabis-cultivation-charge-nsw-no-conviction-after-13-plants-found/

Call 1800 CRIM LAW or visit nationalcriminallawyers.com.au for a free consultation.

27/09/2026

Most parents assume a child charged with an offence goes home. For one specific group of young people in NSW, that assumption does not hold. Here is what section 22C actually requires.

If your child is aged 14 to 18, charged with a serious break and enter or motor vehicle theft offence, and was already on bail for something similar when it happened, a much tougher bail test applies. Here is what you need to know:

• A bail authority must have a high degree of confidence the young person will not commit a further serious offence while on bail. This is a significantly higher standard than the ordinary risk test applied to everyone else

• A related offence adds an extra 2 years imprisonment for sharing footage advertising involvement in these offences. Videos posted to a private story or a group chat are routinely recovered, even after deletion, and used both as evidence and against bail

• The large majority of young people in NSW youth detention are on remand awaiting their court outcome, not serving a sentence

• The law has a sunset date of 1 October 2026, but that does not release anyone already refused bail, and it has been extended before. Timing can matter, but it is not a guaranteed fix

• What actually improves a young person's chances is concrete preparation: a stable supervised home, a confirmed place in a support program, school or work enrolment, and treatment already arranged if relevant

If your child has been refused bail, act immediately. A properly prepared application with supervision and support already in place looks completely different from an unprepared one.

National Criminal Lawyers appears in youth bail applications across NSW including the Children's Court.

Learn more: https://www.nationalcriminallawyers.com.au/section-22c-the-tougher-bail-test-for-14-to-18-year-olds-in-nsw-and-what-the-october-2026-sunset-date-actually-means/

Call 1800 CRIM LAW or visit nationalcriminallawyers.com.au for a free consultation.

25/09/2026

Your AVO has changed. But have your bail conditions?

An AVO and your bail conditions are two separate orders. It's possible to have an AVO that allows contact with a person, while your bail conditions still say you can't.

Principal Lawyer Michael Moussa explains why you should never assume one change covers the other. If you're unsure where you stand, speak with our team before acting.

📞 1800 CRIM LAW
🌐 nationalcriminallawyers.com.au

24/09/2026

A licence check. A letter from Revenue NSW. A police officer mentioning a warrant. That is often how people discover a court dealt with a matter, and convicted them, without them ever knowing about it.

This happens more often than people think, and there is a specific legal remedy for it. Here is what you need to know:

• An annulment application sets aside a conviction or sentence entirely so the matter can be heard again from scratch. It is not an appeal and does not ask whether the original decision was right

• You can apply where you were not aware of the proceedings until after they finished, or where you were genuinely hindered by illness, an accident, or another cause, or where the interests of justice otherwise require it

• The time limit is generally two years from the conviction or sentence. Discovering the conviction late does not extend that window, so acting quickly once you find out matters enormously

• Annulment is not an automatic win. It puts the matter back to the beginning, so if the evidence against you is strong, you could end up facing the same or a worse result

• A specific, detailed explanation supported by real evidence, such as tenancy records, medical documentation or proof of a change of address given to police, is far more persuasive than simply saying you never got the notice

If you have discovered a conviction you did not know about, the question of whether to apply, and how quickly, needs answering now.

National Criminal Lawyers prepares annulment applications across NSW Local Courts.

Read the full article on our website. Link in Bio.

Call 1800 CRIM LAW or visit nationalcriminallawyers.com.au for a free consultation.

24/09/2026

A possession charge. Police facts that went well beyond the charge itself. Detailed representations before sentence. No conviction recorded. Here is how NCL approached the matter at Penrith Local Court.

Pleading guilty to an offence does not mean accepting everything written in a police facts sheet. Here is what this case illustrates:

• The original police account included matters beyond the possession offence itself, including reference to earlier cautions, alleged statements, other items in the vehicle, and driving conduct that was never actually charged

• NCL prepared detailed written representations identifying exactly what conduct the client was prepared to admit, and addressing the additional assertions she did not accept

• A sentencing court must proceed on an appropriate factual basis. Disputed or uncharged matters should be identified and addressed, not simply accepted because they appear in the prosecution's account

• A small quantity involved in a possession matter does not automatically mean a non-conviction outcome, and neither does a guilty plea. The material actually placed before the court matters significantly

• The court found the client guilty but did not proceed to conviction, instead imposing a 6-month Conditional Release Order

This case shows why reviewing the police facts carefully matters even where a guilty plea is intended. Defence work is not limited to asking for leniency at the end of a matter.

National Criminal Lawyers represents clients facing drug possession charges across NSW.

Read the full Case Study: https://www.nationalcriminallawyers.com.au/cannabis-possession-charge-nsw-no-conviction-after-5g-cannabis-found/

Call 1800 CRIM LAW or visit nationalcriminallawyers.com.au for a free consultation.