Betty King
Encyclopedia
Betty June King QC
is an Australia
n jurist
. She is currently a judge
of the Supreme Court of Victoria
having previously served as a judge in the County Court of Victoria. She served as a member of the National Crime Authority
in the 1990s.
. She later studied law at Melbourne University
until 1973, graduating in 1974.
in 1975 at the age of 24, becoming only the twenty-fourth female barrister.
King was in 1986 the first female Prosecutor in Victoria, later becoming the first female Commonwealth
prosecutor.
In 1992 King was one of the first Victorian women to be promoted to Queen's Counsel
.
During the late 1990s King was a member of the National Crime Authority
at one point acting as chair of the authority.
, serving until her appointment as an associate judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria
in 2005.
. In 2008 King ruled that the Underbelly
television series could not be shown in the state of Victoria during Williams' murder trial. During the trial of Evangelos Goussis
for the murder of Lewis Moran
she banned a proposed television showdown on Today Tonight
between Judy Moran
and Williams' mother. While instructing the jury during Goussis' trial she referred to herself as the "queen of banning things".
article about her deleted. In 2008 a fake Facebook
profile bearing her name was removed after a complaint.
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
is an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n jurist
Jurist
A jurist or jurisconsult is a professional who studies, develops, applies, or otherwise deals with the law. The term is widely used in American English, but in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries it has only historical and specialist usage...
. She is currently a judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
of the Supreme Court of Victoria
Supreme Court of Victoria
The Supreme Court of Victoria is the superior court for the State of Victoria, Australia. It was founded in 1852, and is a superior court of common law and equity, with unlimited jurisdiction within the state...
having previously served as a judge in the County Court of Victoria. She served as a member of the National Crime Authority
National Crime Authority of Australia
The National Crime Authority was an Australian law enforcement agency established in 1984.In 2003 it was superseded by the Australian Crime Commission .The NCA was set up in the wake of the Costigan Commission into tax evasion and organised crime...
in the 1990s.
Education
King attended high school at University High SchoolUniversity High School, Melbourne
The University High School is a public, co-educational high school, located in the Melbourne suburb of Parkville.-History:...
. She later studied law at Melbourne University
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
until 1973, graduating in 1974.
Early legal career
After completing her articles, she joined the Victorian BarVictorian Bar
The Victorian Bar is the bar association for the Australian State of Victoria. Its members are barristers registered to practice in Victoria. On 19 January 2006, there were 1627 counsel practising as members of the Victorian Bar. Once a barrister has been admitted to practice by the Supreme Court...
in 1975 at the age of 24, becoming only the twenty-fourth female barrister.
King was in 1986 the first female Prosecutor in Victoria, later becoming the first female Commonwealth
Commonwealth
Commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has sometimes been synonymous with "republic."More recently it has been used for fraternal associations of some sovereign nations...
prosecutor.
In 1992 King was one of the first Victorian women to be promoted to Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
.
During the late 1990s King was a member of the National Crime Authority
National Crime Authority of Australia
The National Crime Authority was an Australian law enforcement agency established in 1984.In 2003 it was superseded by the Australian Crime Commission .The NCA was set up in the wake of the Costigan Commission into tax evasion and organised crime...
at one point acting as chair of the authority.
County Court
In 2000 King was appointed a judge of the County CourtCounty Court of Victoria
The County Court of Victoria was established in 1852 by the County Courts Act 1852. The court has jurisdiction in the State of Victoria, Australia...
, serving until her appointment as an associate judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria
Supreme Court of Victoria
The Supreme Court of Victoria is the superior court for the State of Victoria, Australia. It was founded in 1852, and is a superior court of common law and equity, with unlimited jurisdiction within the state...
in 2005.
Melbourne gangland trials
King presided over the prominent cases involving Melbourne criminal figure Carl Williams and his associates arising from the Melbourne gangland killingsMelbourne gangland killings
The Melbourne gangland killings were the murders in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia of 36 criminal figures or partners between 16 January 1998 and 13 August 2010. The murders were in a series of retributional murders involving various underworld groups. The deaths caused a sustained power vacuum...
. In 2008 King ruled that the Underbelly
Underbelly (TV series)
Underbelly is a 13-part Australian television mini-series that retells the real events of the 1995–2004 gangland war in Melbourne, and is the first series in the larger Underbelly Franchise. It depicts the key players in Melbourne's criminal underworld, including the Carlton Crew and their rival,...
television series could not be shown in the state of Victoria during Williams' murder trial. During the trial of Evangelos Goussis
Evangelos Goussis
Evangelos Goussis, is an Australian former boxer and kickboxer from Geelong, Victoria, and is a multiple murderer, guilty of the murders of two victims of the Melbourne gangland killings...
for the murder of Lewis Moran
Lewis Moran
Lewis Moran was an Australian organized crime figure and patriarch of the infamous Moran family of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Notable for his involvement in the Melbourne gangland killings, Moran was shot dead in a Melbourne hotel The Brunswick Club in 2004...
she banned a proposed television showdown on Today Tonight
Today Tonight
Today Tonight is a controversial Australian News and Current Affairs program, produced by the Seven Network and shown weeknightly at in direct competition with rival Nine Network program A Current Affair....
between Judy Moran
Judy Moran
Judy Moran is the matriarch of the infamous Moran criminal family of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.Judy Moran was first married to Leslie John "Johnny" Cole, who was shot dead in Sydney drug-related gangland conflict in 1982...
and Williams' mother. While instructing the jury during Goussis' trial she referred to herself as the "queen of banning things".
Public statements
In May 2010 she spoke out against prominent defendants, their family members, and judges being treated as celebrities. King claimed to have had a WikipediaWikipedia
Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
article about her deleted. In 2008 a fake Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
profile bearing her name was removed after a complaint.