NSW judge faces ban after scathing report criticises his handling of sexual assault trial

Report finds that during trial Judge Robert Newlinds repeatedly called crown case ‘hopeless’ and vilified the alleged sexual assault victim Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast A judge could be pulled from hearing criminal cases after a watchdog found he abused his power when criticising New South Wales’s top prosecutor and vilifying a sexual assault complainant. A report found that district court Judge Robert Newlinds publicly criticised the NSW Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in his judgment on a sexual assault case in 2023, suggesting the trial had been run in a way unfair to the accused. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email