List member Tim Smurthwaite was featured in The Age over the weekend after being attacked in the car park next to Sunshine Magistrates’ Court, resulting in a broken arm. Despite this, Tim returned to court in the afternoon and successfully secured bail for his client! You can read the full article below.
Fortunately, Tim is recovering well. To view Tim’s full profile, please click here.
For those who do not have a subscription to The Age, see the complete article below.
A random attack left a barrister’s arm broken. He still marched into court to defend a client
ByBroede Carmody and Kishor Napier-Raman
March 10, 2025 — 5.00am
It takes endurance to be a barrister – the bar exam, sleepless nights, spending hours on your feet trying to woo the presiding judge. But a criminal lawyer’s constitution was taken to the next level when a baseball bat-toting thug broke his arm in a car park adjacent to the Sunshine Magistrates’ Court last week in a random attack.
The kicker? After having his left arm patched up by paramedics, Smurthwaite marched into court to represent a client. That’s despite ambos advising against it.
When we phoned him to check if the story was the whole truth and nothing but – which it is – it was clear the barrister’s arm may be broken, but his funny bone was not. Panadol is an amazing thing, Smurthwaite joked.
“They wanted to take me to hospital,” Smurthwaite told CBD. “But this bloke’s liberty was at stake. It’s inconvenient and I’m in a bit of pain, but I can work.”
The incident, over which no one has yet been charged, occurred last Wednesday, and the barrister was also back in court defending clients on Friday. It was only on Saturday that Smurthwaite went under the surgeon’s knife to have a plate inserted into his arm. All part of a plan to heal his “classic defence” injuries. A police statement will be given in due course.
So did the client succeed in his bail application? Yes.
Not all superheroes wear capes. Some of them wear long black robes.
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