Evan Whitton

Evan Whitton was a crime reporter at Melbourne Truth, chief reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald,, editor of The National Times, and reader in Journalism at the Queensland University. He received the Walkley Award (Australia’s Pulitzer) five times. He began looking into two legal systems after observing how each dealt with the same organized criminal, Queensland Police Commissioner Sir Terry Lewis, in 1988 and 1991. He believes the research confirms Yale law professor Fred Rodell’s view that the Anglo-colonial system is “nothing but a high-class racket.” Dr Robert Moles (LLB Hons Belfast, Ph.D Edinburgh) says Whitton’s latest book, Our Corrupt Legal System (Amazon, The Book Depository, google.com/ebooks), is “one of the most important books I have ever read on the common law legal system. [It] should be required reading on Introduction to Law courses in all law schools.” Six of his other books on corruption in police, politics and the law are free online at <a href="http://netk.net.au/whittonhome.asp">netk.net.au/whittonhome.asp</a>. He can be contacted at ewhitton@bigpond.net.au

An excerpt from the book Our Corrupt Legal System: Why Everyone is a Victim (Except Rich Criminals)

May 21, 2012

An excerpt from the book Our Corrupt Legal System: Why Everyone is a Victim (Except Rich Criminals) by Evan Whitton

by Evan Whitton

The lawyer-run adversary system used in Britain and its former colonies, including the United States, India, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia does not try to find the truth. It is the only system which conceals evidence. Our Corrupt Legal System explains why trial lawyers, famously economical with the truth, control evidence; civil hearings take weeks, months or years; in serious criminal cases, 24 anti-truth devices allow more than 50 percent of guilty accused to escape justice. By contrast, in the investigative system used in Europe and other countries, including Japan, trained judges control evidence and seek the truth; civil hearings take a few hours; 95 percent of guilty accused are convicted. It is the most widespread, accurate and cost-effective system. Russell Fox, an Australian judge who researched the law for 11 years, concluded: “The public estimation must be correct, that justice marches with the truth.”

Evan Whitton began researching the two legal systems in 1991 after observing at first hand how each system dealt with the same criminal, Police Chief Sir Terence Lewis.

Whitton was chief reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald, and Reader in Journalism at the University of Queensland. He received the Walkley Award for National Journalism five times, and was Journalist of the Year 1983 for “courage and innovation” in reporting an inquiry into judicial corruption. He is now a columnist on a legal journal, Justinian.

Dr George Miller, director of Happy Feet (Academy Award), said Whitton is “a dazzling writer, incisive and addictive.”

Phillip Knightley, twice British Journalist of the Year, called it “a masterpiece.”

Dr. Robert Moles, LLB Hons Belfast, PhD Edinburgh, says Our Corrupt Legal System “is one of the most important books I have ever read on the common law legal system”.

The book is available at bookdepository.com (free shipping worldwide), Amazon, etc. Six of his other non-fiction books are free online at www.netk.net.au/WhittonHome.asp