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The elderly woman who helped her son try to cover up a murder by conspiring to kill a witness has walked free from custody, after a judge ruled she was just another victim of his manipulation.Maria Cardamone, 78, was sentenced to the 141 days already served in jail since her arrest in May for attempting to pervert the course of justice.

The man accused of defrauding former Woman's Day editor Nene King out of tens of thousands of dollars has been found not guilty of all charges by a Victorian County Court.Colin Hahne was charged with 35 counts of theft, fraud and falsifying documents.

An Iraqi-born Australian has avoided jail time after being convicted of assisting people smuggling after helping relatives to come to Australia four years ago.Wasim Buka, 45, pleaded guilty to two charges of assisting people smuggling after helping his niece, her husband and another relative to reach Australia in late 2011 and early 2012.

A young Melbourne man once accused of being involved in a terror plot planned for Anzac Day has avoided a conviction and further time in custody over weapons offences.Harun​ Causevic​, 18, was arrested on April 18 with four other teenagers, in relation to an alleged plot to run down and behead a police officer at an Anzac Day service and then use the officer's gun on a shooting rampage.

A trusted member of former Victorian premier Ted Baillieu's staff who defrauded more than $18,000 from his personal cheque account – and forged his signature to do so – has pleaded guilty to four deception charges.

The Western Bulldogs Football Club isn’t known as one of the powerhouse clubs of the AFL. It’s dwarfed by the likes of Collingwood, Essendon, Carlton and Hawthorn in terms of membership, revenue and premierships.But the club is home to some of Victoria’s sharpest legal minds.

Prosecutors have dropped terror financing charges against a Melbourne pizza shop worker due to a lack of evidence.Hassan El Sabsabi, 24, was charged last year with sending funds to Islamic State (IS) and Jabhat al Nusra, but in the Supreme Court today prosecutors announced they were not proceeding with the charges.

Charges against Melbourne teenager Harun Causevic, accused of plotting an Anzac Day terrorist attack, will be dropped today, his lawyer says.His lawyer, Rob Stary, said Commonwealth authorities would drop the terrorism charges at a court appearance today, though a weapons offence would remain.

Andrew Zingler, for Julian, said his client had a significant psychiatric history and, in the days leading up to the event, had posted some concerning comments on Facebook.Mr Zingler said Julian had been a cannabis user for 35 years and planned to be drug free when released from jail.

Robert Stary reserved his highest praise and gratitude for his personal assistant Marco Man, familiar to all in the criminal law fraternity as Mr Stary’s indispensable right hand man.

Georgia Fields, 19, of Ferntree Gully, walked free from the Supreme Court today on bail despite allegations she plotted to kill her boyfriend’s disabled and deaf flat mate.In arguing for bail, Mr Smurthwaite said his client was not a risk to the community, would live with her parents and twin sister and adhere to a strict curfew.

Criminal lawyer Robert Stary, who took on the case a year after Ms Greensill's conviction, said in 30 years of practice it was very rare for him to be so strident about a person's innocence.