A bail reporting condition requires you to attend and sign in at a nominated police station on set days and times while your case is ongoing. It is a conduct condition under the Bail Act 1977 (Vic), imposed to reduce risk, and breaching it without a reasonable excuse is a separate criminal offence that can also see your bail revoked.
Not always, and it depends heavily on the offence. A criminal record does not automatically stop you getting a Working with Children Check in Victoria, because under the Worker Screening Act 2020 (Vic) only certain offences are relevant, broadly serious sexual, violent, or drug offences. The most serious offences against children (Category A) lead to a mandatory exclusion, Category B offences carry a presumption against a clearance, and other relevant offences are individually assessed for whether you pose an unjustifiable risk to children. The check also considers charges, not just convictions, and is monitored continuously.
es. Criminal charges can be dropped before court in Victoria, but only the prosecution can withdraw them, not you and not the alleged victim. Charges are most often dropped where the evidence is weak, the case is not in the public interest, or a defence lawyer persuades the prosecution to withdraw through written representations.
There is no fixed legal limit. A criminal case in Victoria can be adjourned as many times as the court considers appropriate, because under section 331 of the Criminal Procedure Act 2009 (Vic) a court may adjourn a proceeding for any purpose, on any terms. In practice, most matters are adjourned several times as they move through mentions, disclosure, negotiations, and toward a hearing, and that is normal rather than a sign that something has gone wrong. The court decides each request on its merits, weighing the interests of justice and any prejudice to either side.
Yes. Text messages can be used as evidence in a Victorian family violence intervention order (FVIO) case, and they often are. These proceedings are civil, decided on the balance of probabilities, and the court is not bound by the strict rules of evidence, which makes messages, screenshots, and social media easier to put before a magistrate than in a criminal trial.
