Senior Trial Advocate: Manny Conditsis
In child sexual assault matters there are no winners. If the allegations are true then it is no doubt devastating and life changing for the complainant, however, if the allegations are not true, the allegations are also devastating for accused persons and their families, let alone the tragedy if a wrongful conviction was to follow.
A criminal lawyer and particularly, an advocate, is obliged to accept the instructions of their client and in defended trials, those instructions are that the accused denies the allegations.
Equally, there are occasions when an accused person will instruct us to plead guilty to the allegations and in those cases, it is our duty to present our client’s case, seeking to explain, not excuse, how the commission of the offence came about and to achieve the best possible sentencing outcome.
For over 40 years Manny Conditsis has represented many accused persons in child sexual assault matters and will not leave a stone unturned to present his client’s case as delicately as he can, proceeding with respect to all concerned. Sometimes that requires subpoena to be issued to multiple organisations including the Department of Communities and Justice [formerly DOCS and FACS] and having to scour over thousands of pages of material.
Manny has achieved many not guilty verdicts for clients charged with child sexual assault and in recent years has appeared in numerous Judge and Jury trials resulting in acquittals.
