The Takeovers Panel last week welcomed the reappointment of nine members and appointment of five new members to its company. Among the reappointments is John Keeves, corporate partner at Johnson Winter & Slattery. Meanwhile, additions to the Panel included Sophie Mitchell, director of corporate and special projects at ABN AMRO Morgans, Sydney barrister David Bennett, former M&A practitioner and business commentator John Green, director of Alumina, Landcare Australia and ANZ Bank Peter Hay, and general counsel and company secretary of OZ Minerals, Francesca Lee. 

Sex case against Adelaide magistrate dropped

Suspended Adelaide magistrate Richard Button Brown has probably never witnessed a more personally satisfying legal decision than that on the weekend, in which child sex charges against him were dropped. Just days before Brown’s Supreme Court trial was due to begin on five counts of indecent assault and two counts of unlawful sexual intercourse, Prosecutor Sandi McDonald on Saturday lodged a nolle prosequi on behalf of Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Pallaras QC, effectively dropping all charges against the magistrate. “In each of the charges, the age of the complainant is a significant factor and it has been the Crown's position that the complainant was under 17 years of age at the time of the sexual act,” Pallaras wrote, as reported by The Australian. “As a result of further evidence recently obtained, the prosecution is not now able to prove beyond reasonable doubt that this was so.”