Michael Guider’s Legal Aid lawyers win fight against State of NSW
The lawyers for freed paedophile Michael Guider, who pleaded guilty to killing nine-year-old Bondi schoolgirl Samantha Knight, have won a bizarre decision to force the State of NSW to pay their legal costs.
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Freed paedophile Michael Guider’s government-funded lawyers have won a bizarre decision to force the State of NSW to pay their legal costs over the fight to keep him behind bars.
Guider, 68, was released last year after being in jail since 1996 after pleading guilty to drugging, molesting and killing nine-year-old Bondi schoolgirl Samantha Knight, as well 60 child sex offences.
He had never applied for parole so when he walked free, he would have been subject to no supervision. The State of NSW applied for a Continuing Detention Order to keep him locked up for another year but he was released on a five-year Extended Supervision Order by the Supreme Court to the horror of his victims including Samantha’s mum Tess Knight.
Guider had been represented by NSW Legal Aid and today they have won costs for the hearing against the State of NSW in what is just a redistribution of money between two government instrumentalities, Justice Richard Button said.
Guider had agreed to the five-year ESO before last year’s hearing in August but the State of NSW had fought hard to keep him locked up.
It was because the government lost that they have to pay costs, Justice Button decided today.
He emphasised that Guider will get no money from the legal costs.
The self-confessed paedophile remains under 56 conditions of the supervision order including electronic monitoring and providing a weekly schedule of his movements in advance.
He was not at court today.
Originally published as Michael Guider’s Legal Aid lawyers win fight against State of NSW
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