Johnson v Commissioner of New South Wales Police [2025] NSWSC 21

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Johnson v Commissioner of New South Wales Police [2025] NSWSC 21 Hearing dates: 23 July 2024 (further submissions due by 16 August 2024 and last note received on 31 October 2024) Date of orders: 7 February 2025 Decision date: 07 February 2025 Jurisdiction: Common Law Before: N Adams J Decision: (1) Declare that the search warrant SW1367/23 is invalid. (2) The decision of the third defendant on 1 November 2023 issuing SW 1367/23 is quashed. (3) The plaintiff's mobile telephone seized under the search warrant SW1367/23 be returned to him. (4) The first defendant is to pay the plaintiff's costs of the summons on the ordinary basis. (5) The plaintiff's notice of motion filed on 2 February 2024 is dismissed. (6) The plaintiff is to pay the defendants' costs of the motion on the ordinary basis. (7) The parties have 14 days to agree upon redactions, if any, to this judgment if necessary to reflect the non-publication order I made on 23 July 2024. (8) The summons is otherwise dismissed. Catchwords: ADMINISTRATIVE LAW – Police powers – search warrant – whether invalid – where mobile telephone of legal practitioner seized from police station – client legal privilege – whether issuing officer had reasonable grounds – where warrant sought all data on the telephone pertaining to specified offences – whether warrant to wide – whether mobile telephone should be returned – warrant invalid – mobile telephone to be returned Legislation Cited: Court Suppression and Non-publication Orders Act 2010 (NSW), ss 7, 8 Crimes Act 1900 (NSW), ss 93G, 315, 315A, 319, 326 Crimes Act 1914 (Cth), ss 3E, 10, 29A, 79, 86, Crimes (Domestic and Personal Violence) Act 2007 (NSW), s 13 Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth) Drug Misuse and Trafficking Act 1985 (NSW), s 25 Evidence Act 1995 (NSW), s 138 Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 (Cth), s 231 Law Enforcement (Powers and Responsibilities) Act 2002 (NSW), ss 3, 46, 46B, 47, 48, 62, 65, 75A, 76AB, Pt 5, Divs 2, 4A Law Enforcement (Powers and Responsibilities) Amendment (Digital Evidence Access Orders) Act 2022 (NSW) Law Enforcement (Powers and Responsibilities) Regulation 2016 (NSW), cll 6, 13, 14, Supreme Court Act 1970 (NSW), s 69 Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 (Cth) Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW), r 33 Cases Cited: Arno v Forsyth (1986) 9 FCR 576 Beneficial Finance Corporation v Commissioner of Australian Federal Police (1991) 31 FCR 523; [1991] FCA 475 Brewer v Castles (No. 2) (1984) 1 FCR 55 Carroll v Mijovich (1991) 25 NSWLR 441 Cassaniti v Croucher (2000) 48 NSWLR 623; [2000] NSWCA 95 Commissioner of Police, NSW v Taleb [2019] NSWSC 21 Corbett v State of New South Wales [2006] NSWCA 138 Doyle v Commissioner of Police [2020] NSWCA 11; (2020) 285 A Crim R 349 Doyle v Commissioner of Police (No 2) [2020] NSWCA 34 Doyle v Commissioner of Police (No 4) [2020] NSWCA 290 Gamage v Riashi [2023] NSWSC 390 George v Rockett (1990) 170 CLR 104; [1990] HCA 26 Gould v Director of Public Prosecutions (Cth) [2018] NSWCCA 109; (2018) 273 A Crim 91 Grollo v Palmer (1995) 184 CLR 348; [1995] HCA 26 Harland v Murphy [2022] NSWSC 1376 JMA Accounting Pty Ltd v Carmody (2004) 139 FCR 537; [2004] FCAFC 274 Johns v Australian Securities Commission (1993) 178 CLR 408; [1993] HCA 56 Lee v New South Wales Commissioner of Police [2017] NSWSC 1594 Lee v NSW Commissioner of Police (No.3) [2019] NSWSC 694 Lego Australia Pty Ltd v Paraggio (1994) 52 FCR 542 Love v Attorney-General (NSW) (1990) 169 CLR 307; [1990] HCA 4 Majzoub v Kepreokis [2009] NSWSC 314; (2009) 195 A Crim R 63 Murphy v The Queen (1989) 167 CLR 94; [1989] HCA 28 Ousley v The Queen (1997) 192 CLR 69; [1997] HCA 49 Ozzy Tyre & Tube Pty Ltd v Chief Executive Officer of Customs [2000] FCA 891 Parker v Churchill (1985) 9 FCR 316 Polley v Johnson [2015] NSWCA 256; (2015) 253 A Crim R 521 Polley v Johnson [2014] NSWSC 1191 Quartermaine v Netto (Federal Court of Australia, Toohey J, 14 December 1984, unrep) R v Cranston (No 3) [2020] NSWSC 1103 R v Tillett; Ex Parte Newton (1969) 14 FLR 101 Smethurst v Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police (2020) 272 CLR 177; [2020] HCA 14 South Australia v Totani (2010) 242 CLR 1; [2010] HCA 39 New South Wales v Corbett (2007) 230 CLR 606; [2007] HCA 32 Wright v Queensland Police Service [2002] QSC 46; (2002) 2 Qd R 667 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Eric Johnson (a pseudonym) (Plaintiff) Commissioner of New South Wales Police (First Defendant) Bradley Goodhart (Second Defendant) Buddy Semrany (Third Defendant) Representation: Counsel: Dr G D Woods KC with Mr T Woods (Plaintiff) Mr D Hume (First and Second Defendant)