Russell St killer Craig Minogue fights prison tweet ban
Corrections authorities have moved to silence Russell St bomber Craig Minogue who has been instructing his “life partner” to publish messages on social media on his behalf.
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Russell St bomber Craig Minogue is fighting a jailhouse crackdown on him tweeting from behind bars.
Corrections authorities have moved to silence Minogue who has been instructing his “life partner” to publish messages on social media on his behalf.
But the cop killer has taken his right to tweet to the Supreme Court, claiming the ban infringes on his human rights and right to express himself.
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Minogue wants to overturn the recent restrictions, which he said also prevent him from phoning his partner from prison altogether.
In a motion obtained by the Sunday Herald Sun, Minogue claims the Department of Justice and Community Safety’s decision to restrict his use of social media via proxy “criminalises the act of a person expressing themselves”.
Minogue is seeking a judicial review for what he claims is an “error of law” that could see him jailed for an extra two years for breaching the restriction.
In more than 25 pages of legal argument, the convicted murderer claims the withdrawal of his prisoner privileges limits his right to freedom of communication and political expression, as well as his right to participate freely in the conduct of public affairs.
“(A prisoner) has the right of communication in relation to legal, political, public and personal matters within Victoria and throughout the Commonwealth,” he states.
It comes as the state government plans to introduce laws that would bar all prisoners from using social media via a third party.
The proposal was sparked after Minogue leaked news of drug lord Tony Mokbel’s jailhouse stabbing on his official Twitter account in February.
At the time, a state government spokesman said due to the impact on victims and the potential security of the prison system, changes had been made to prisoner privileges.
“We are also proposing to create new prison offences that will target social media being used on behalf of prisoners,” the spokesman said.
Court documents reveal Minogue’s life partner lives interstate, prompting calls for a national approach to the issue.
State Corrections Minister Ben Carroll asked the federal government in March to consider federal changes.
A directions hearing was held in the Supreme Court last week to address Minogue’s request for judicial review.