Former magistrate Simon Cooper avoids jail

 

A former magistrate has been sentenced to three years' prison for indecently assaulting two teenage boys nearly 30 years ago.

Simon Mitchell Cooper, 56, however, walked from court after Judge Stephen Norrish, from NSW who was asked to preside over the case, wholly suspended his jail term.

Judge Norrish said while the two youths, who had been aged between 17 and 18 at the time of offending, had suffered damage as a result of Cooper's offending, the former lawyer who rose to become a councillor, mayor, senior crown prosecutor and magistrate had shown he was capable of redemption.

There were gasps in the courtroom as Judge Norrish handed down his sentence.

Outside the County Court, one of the victims encouraged others to come forward to ensure their voices were heard and perpetrators held to account.

"Today is a significant day, it's a day that has demonstrated that if you're a victim of sexual assault that you should have the courage, the belief because you're going to have the support of the police force, the judiciary, the independence and I think if one other person can stand up and speak the truth from what's occurred with me, I think that’s a great thing for society," he said.

Cooper sat, leaning forward and clasping his hands throughout most of the sentencing.

The court heard he suffered from anxiety and had suffered a panic attack on the day of his arrest for the offences and later been hospitalised.

In August, Cooper pleaded guilty to seven charges of indecent assault that occurred between 1984 and 1986 and resigned as a magistrate.

Judge Norrish said he accepted that Cooper had only partial recollection of the offences and had been genuinely shocked when one of the victims confronted him earlier this year in a conversation that was secretly recorded.

Judge Norrish said the conversation had left Cooper "petrified" about the consequences of his past crimes as it was obvious to him "that his world was crashing around him".

"I accept that he was genuinely shocked by the allegations coming to light," Judge Norrish said.

The court heard Cooper was a young lawyer, aged 27, when he committed the offending that mostly involved inappropriate touching.

Judge Norrish said it had taken years for the victim who suffered the most to admit to his parents what had happened and then courageously go to the police.

The court heard that Cooper had written a love letter to one of his victims that read: "I love you with all of my heart. Please f--- me at your earliest convenience".

Judge Norrish said Cooper had lost his reputation, status, occupation and endured public humiliation and damage to his marriage and rightly "suffered a spectacular fall from grace."

He said Cooper had often been under the influence of alcohol at the time of his offending and that since he committed his crimes had led a life of respected public service.

Character references given to the court from a Victorian County Court judge, a magistrate and senior crown prosecutor spoke of Cooper as a man of integrity, honesty and courage in his personal and professional dealings, Judge Norrish said.

Judge Norrish said he had taken into account Cooper’s guilty pleas and that he believed that he posed an "almost non-existent" threat to other young people.

He suspended Cooper's jail sentence for three years.

Cooper was supported in the County Court by his family and made no comment to waiting media outside the court.

theage.com.au 19 Nov 2013

This is another indication of how appalling the (Anglo-Masonic) 'justice' system works.

Australia's courts are NOT about 'justice' but rather function to the benefit of their 'brethren' or colleagues and are factually places of business / commerce / trading. You have to agree to go to court.

Former magistrate Simon Cooper would NOT attend court if he knew was going to jail. The verdict was decided before the attendance in the court rooms. The court appearance was just a charade for the general populous.

This farce called a trail is actually a failure of 'justice' for the molested boys.

The County Court is a registered business with the ABN of 32 790 228 959, which is owned and operated by the Liberty Group with links to the Rothschilds.

Every barrister, Q.C, magistrate or judge makes an oath first and foremost to the court, secondly to their colleagues, and lastly to the clients, which in the industry is known as the 'three C's'. This is a well known fact within the industry, but (deliberately???) not mentioned by the corporate media.

The interests of the clients come last and are heavily outweighed by the former two.

 

Simon Cooper may as well be laughing at the cameras and not smirking.