Ms Prenc, who had been court administrator since April, told Justice Department secretary Ginna Webster that she had not meant to cause offence.

Administrator says 'absolutely no intended obstruction'Īs the evening wore on - and media articles started to appear, describing how it had been locked out of Justice Geason's hearing - department staff realised they would need to come up with a response. Ms Prenc wrote she had 'since learned that on some occasions if media are here waiting outside, security will let them in if they're letting others into the court'. Neither of these reasons usually prevent the media from attending. Her other reasons were the sensitive nature of a family violence hearing, and that police had indicated that they would seek a suppression order. She also said 'to my knowledge, media do not ordinarily attend after-hours courts, nor was access usually permitted'. In an email, she wrote only two security guards remained for the after-hours session, which was 'not enough security to ensure safety in the building as a whole'. Police said this was because Justice Geason's phone had been seized and he had no way of arranging his own transport.Īt 6:47pm, Ms Prenc gave her reasons for barring the media from the hearing. A prosecutor then helped him into a waiting unmarked police car. 'Then it all kicked off.' 'Not enough security'Īfter the hearing, Justice Geason was escorted from the main entrance about 6:30pm by a security guard. The exclusion of the media - and the confusion surrounding how the government could address the issue of a sitting judge facing criminal charges - would spark a debate about freedom of the press, and result in Tasmania's parliament being recalled, apparently for nothing. With access to the court closed off, a flurry of calls, texts and emails were sent, requesting reporters be allowed to enter the court and report on the hearing - in the interests of open justice.Īn hour later, Justice Geason was led from the building on bail by a court security guard, with a prosecutor helping him into an unmarked police car which drove him home. That someone of his standing in the legal system would be facing such charges was, it should come as little surprise, of interest to media organisations. The door led to a courtroom where, they had been told, Tasmanian Supreme Court Justice Gregory Geason would be appearing on assault and emotional abuse charges, to which he pleaded not guilty. What's next? Justice Gregory Geason is expected to next appear in court on February 6.Īround 5.30pm on a Friday in early December, two journalists were waiting on a public footpath in Hobart, outside a door labelled 'after-hours court entrance'.Documents released under right to information laws have detailed the decision-making which led to the exclusion of reporters from the hearing.In short: The appearance of a Supreme Court judge in a Hobart court in December was newsworthy enough - then came the decision to ban media from the hearing, sparking concerns about open justice and igniting a debate about how the government should handle the situation.

Sitting elephant outline