While Gregory Geason made a commitment to the court to not hear any cases, he remained on full pay. Photo: Supreme Court of Tasmania.
Gregory Geason has tendered his resignation as a Justice of Tasmania’s Supreme Court, following a year-long case that recently found him guilty of assault and emotional abuse or intimidation against a woman.
The island state’s Attorney-General Guy Barnett received confirmation on Monday (18 November) that Mr Geason would step down from his role “with immediate effect”. Last week the Hobart Magistrates Court finalised charges against the puisne judge, which were initially laid on him in December last year.
While Mr Geason’s defence counsel told the court during sentencing submissions that his client would resign immediately, the Attorney-General said if he didn’t do so before the next parliamentary sitting day – “it is my intention to move a motion in the House of Assembly calling on the Governor to remove Justice Geason”.
In November 2023, Tasmania’s Chief Justice Alan Blow asked Mr Geason to go on leave and reappointed Brian Martin AO KC as an Acting Justice to help with the ongoing backlog of cases.
His request came a year after the Hobart Mercury captured a photo of Gregory Geason kissing a former Supreme Court associate following a Law Society of Tasmania event at the Grand Poobah nightclub.
Following the scandal that saw the associate lose her job, her lawyer Josh Bornstein lodged a complaint with the Equal Opportunity Commission under the state’s Anti-Discrimination Act. The Maurice Blackburn principal said the state act protected employees from discrimination on the basis of lawful sexual activity.
Last week the Victorian Deputy Chief Magistrate Susan Wakeling, who was presiding over the case regarding the assault from last year, instead of a Tasmanian magistrate, placed Mr Geason on a 12-month community corrections order with 100 hours of community work.
This followed her verdict that found Mr Geason had grabbed a woman, shaken her, punched her to the chest multiple times, and pushed her, resulting in her falling and hitting her head on a mantelpiece, causing concussion and bruising.
The court also established that he had insulted the woman several times from April to November 2023 – and tracked her movements.
According to the ABC, Magistrate Wakeling described the former Justice’s account of the assault in October last year as “contrived and implausible”. She also said during his sentencing on Thursday (14 November) that Mr Geason lacked remorse.
Part of his order is a condition that he continue psychiatric treatment and gain insight into his offending.
Members of Tasmania’s judiciary could soon be removed from office under new legislation that has to make one more pass of the island state’s Lower House (House of Assembly) before coming into effect.
The Judicial Commissions Bill 2024 originally passed the House of Assembly on 16 October. Its purpose is to establish a legal framework for the management of judicial complaints in Tasmania.
Attorney-General Barnett said the bill must now return to the House of Assembly before it is passed.
“We’re continually looking for ways in which we can improve, modernise and refine Tasmania’s legal system,” he said. “The passage of the Judicial Commissions Bill through the Legislative Council is a solid step towards delivering that.”
In delivering this statement, the Attorney-General provided a fact sheet on the bill stipulating its provisions.
The Judicial Commissions Bill was introduced in September as then-Justice Geason pleaded not guilty to his abuse case. Photo: Government House Tasmania.
