A judge-turned legal academic has been given permission to go to Europe on holiday by a Melbourne magistrate despite facing multiple charges of possessing child abuse material.
Justice Alan Boulton, 74, who allegedly accidentally displaced the material to a class during a lecture at Monash University in February, appeared in Melbourne Magistrates Court via video link on Thursday to challenge bail conditions that required him to surrender his passport.
His lawyer Holly Baxter told the court her client had informed police about his travel plans on July 23, eight days before he was charged, and then spent a “serious amount of money” after they took no issue, the Herald Sun reported.
She told the court Justice Boulton had left Australia in May and returned while still under investigation and that he had been upfront with police, while the prosecution argued charges had not been laid at the time and he should now be forced to surrender his passport.
But Magistrate Brett Sonnet cited Justice Boulton’s age and lack of criminal history in deciding not to impose a travel ban, saying his three other bail conditions – to remain at his residential address, not contact witnesses and inform police if he moves house – were “appropriate in all the circumstances”.
No further details about the allegations against the former Senior Deputy President of the Fair Work Commission were heard in court, but charge sheets allege he had downloaded child abuse material onto a data storage device on August 30.
Detectives from the Melbourne Sexual Offence and Child Abuse Investigation Team started an investigation after Justice Boulton allegedly inadvertently displayed the material, and then raided his home in Middle Park and an address in Sydney, seizing electronic devices from both properties.
Monash University said Justice Boulton, who was teaching a course on international labour law, was immediately suspended and removed from all teaching duties after the incident, and is providing students who allegedly saw the material with support services.
“The safety and wellbeing of our students, staff and broader community remains our highest priority,” a spokesperson said.
Justice Boulton has a long and distinguished legal career, and in 1979 was appointed as the first-time legal officer of the Australian Council of Trade Unions by then-ACTU President Bob Hawke, who went on to be Prime Minister four years later.
He was also the President of the Industrial Relations Commission of Victoria, President of the Defence Force Remuneration Tribunal, was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2002, and is known as a collector of Chinese porcelain and 19th Century French Spelter lamps and statues.
According to an online profile he worked for the International Labour Organisation in Manila and Jakarta where he developed programs on child labour, industrial relations, and migrant workers.
Justice Boulton’s case will be heard again on November 7.
Header image: Left, Justice Alan Boulton (Supplied). Right, Monash University (Monash).
