Anne Bampton

Anne Bampton is an Australian lawyer, who was a judge of the District Court of South Australia from 2010 until 2013 when she was appointed to the Supreme Court of South Australia.[1]


Anne Bampton
Judge of the Supreme Court of South Australia
Assumed office
14 November 2013
Personal details
Born1961 or 1962 (age 58–59)
NationalityAustralian
OccupationJudge, lawyer

Career

Bampton was admitted as a legal practitioner in 1985. In 2006 she was appointed a Master of the Supreme Court. In February 2010 Bampton was appointed a judge of the District Court.[1]

Supreme Court of South Australia

Bampton was appointed to the Supreme Court in November 2013.[1] Bampton has sat on a number of high profile cases, including finding that Cy Walsh was not guilty of the murder of his father Phil Walsh because he was mentally incompetent.[2] Bampton was a member of the Full Court of the Supreme Court that dismissed an appeal against a redistribution of the electoral districts of South Australia.[3]

Drink driving

On Saturday 30 November 2013, shortly after Bampton's appointment to the Supreme Court, she was driving after consuming alcohol when she hit and injured a cyclist at Glenside. A breath test indicated that Bampton had a blood alcohol content of 0.121%, a category 2 offence,[4] and was immediately disqualified from driving for six months.[5] Bampton pleaded guilty to driving with excess blood alcohol and driving without due care, was fined $1,300, plus court costs of $260 and disqualified from driving for a further eight months and 14 days.[6]

Bampton was the fourth Australian judge to commit a drink driving offense, after District Court (SA) judge Neal Hume (2002),[5] Supreme Court (NSW) judge Jeff Shaw (2004),[7] and acting Judge of Appeal (NSW) Roderick Howie (2011).[8] Hume and Shaw resigned their commissions while Howie's acting commission was allowed to lapse. In South Australia a judge can only be removed by the Governor upon the address of both Houses of the Parliament.[9][10] Bampton did not resign nor did the Parliament seek her removal. The Chief Justice Chris Kourakis decided that for twelve months Bampton would not be allocated to cases involving a driving offence nor where an offender was "materially affected by alcohol".[6] Subsequently NSW Court of Appeal Judge Anthony Meagher was found to be driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.053%, however he too remained on the bench.[11]


References

  1. "Anne Bampton and Greg Parker appointed to the Supreme Court" (PDF). Attorney-General's Department. 14 November 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 January 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  2. "Drink driving former judge sentenced". ABC News. 22 September 2011. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  3. Martin v Electoral Districts Boundaries Commission [2017] SASCFC 18, Supreme Court (SA).
  4. Road Traffic Act 1961 (SA) s 47B Driving while having prescribed concentration of alcohol in blood.
  5. "Future of newly-appointed SA Supreme Court Justice Anne Bampton in doubt after allegedly collided with cyclist while drink-driving". The Advertiser. 2 December 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  6. "Drink driving judge banned from sentencing drunk offenders". The Guardian. 15 January 2014. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  7. Robinson, Georgina (11 May 2010). "Former NSW attorney-general Jeffrey Shaw dead". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  8. "Cy Walsh committed to psychiatric institution". SkyNews. 20 December 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  9. Constitution Act 1934 (SA) s 75 Removal from office of Judges.
  10. Appleby, G & Le Mire, S. "Judicial Conduct: Crafting a System That Enhances Institutional Integrity". [2014] Melbourne University Law Review 9.
  11. "Court of Appeal Judge Anthony Meagher 'deeply ashamed' after-low range drink driving charge". Sydney Morning Herald. 24 December 2014. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
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