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Lionel Rattenbury
Criminal Defence Lawyer


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Perjury Offences - NSW
Welcome to the NSW Perjury article page. Everything you need to know about Perjury according to NSW law - Dated: 01/09/2009

What the Law States according to NSW Law for Perjury
According to NSW Law for the charge of Perjury,

On the police facts sheet and the court attendance notice that you may have received you will have a reference to the law part and a short description of offence. These references help the court and the legal profession to identify the exact offence you have been charged with. The law part and short description for this offence are set out in the table below:

Law Part Short Description
1082 Make false statement on oath amounting to perjury-T1

The Maximum Penalty - Perjury
According to NSW Law for the charge of Perjury,

The maximum penalty for the charge of perjury (Section 327 of the Crimes Act) is ten years imprisonment.

In NSW, a court can impose any of the following penalties for a perjury charge.

You’ll find a brief description of each of these penalties at the bottom of this page.

Likely Penalty

Local Court

Based on our experience and statistics from the Judicial Commission of New South Wales we believe that the penalty in a case that is within the mid range of seriousness for the offence of perjury, if heard in the Local Court, is likely to be a suspended sentence under section 12 of the Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act.

District Court

If the matter is finalised in the District Court the likely penalty is imprisonment for a period of 12 months.

What the Police must prove according to NSW Law for Perjury

To convict you of a perjury charge, the police must prove each of the following matters beyond a reasonable doubt:

  1. You made a statement on oath.
  2. That statement was made in or in connection with any judicial proceedings.
  3. The statement was concerning any matter which was material to the proceedings.
  4. That statement was false.
  5. You either knew it to be false or did not believe it to be true.

They will also need to prove that you were the person who committed the perjury offence.

Possible Defences under NSW Law - Perjury

Possible defences to a perjury charge include but are not limited to:

In NSW which court will hear the matter - Perjury

This matter is a Table 1 offence which means that either the DPP or an accused can elect to have the matter dealt with in the District Court. If no election is made it will be dealt with in the Local Court.

Section 10 for a perjury charge: avoiding a criminal record. Normally, when you plead guilty to a criminal offence, the court imposes a penalty and records a conviction. If the court records a conviction, you will have a criminal record. However, if we can convince the court not to convict you, there will be no penalty of any type and no criminal record. In all criminal cases, the court has the discretion not to convict you, but to give you a Section 10 dismissal instead. Read more.

Fines for a perjury charge: When deciding the amount of a fine for a perjury charge the magistrate or judge should consider your financial situation and your ability to pay any fine they set. Read more.

Good behaviour bond for a pperjury charge: This is an order of the court that requires you to be of good behaviour for a specified period of time. The court will impose conditions that you will have to obey during the term of the good behaviour bond. The maximum duration of a good behaviour bond is five years. Read more.

Community service order for a perjury charge (CSO): This involves either unpaid work in the community at a place specified by probation and parole or attendance at a centre to undertake a course, such as anger management. In order to be eligible for a CSO you have to be assessed by an officer of the probation service as suitable to undertake the order. Read more.

Suspended sentence for a perjury charge: This is a jail sentence that is suspended upon you entering into a good behaviour bond. Provided the terms of the good behaviour bond are obeyed the jail sentence will not come into effect. A suspended sentence is only available for sentences of imprisonment of up to two years. Read more.

Periodic detention for a perjury charge (commonly known as weekend detention): This form of imprisonment ceased to be a sentencing option in October 2010.

Intensive correction order for a perjury charge (ICO): This option has replaced periodic detention. The court can order you to comply with a number of conditions, such as attending counselling or treatment, not consuming alcohol, complying with a curfew and performing community service. Read more.

Jail for a perjury charge: This is the most serious penalty for the charge of perjury and involves full time detention in a correctional facility. Read more.

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