Victorian County Court and Crown Prosecutor Appointments
Wednesday 19 July 2017 @ 10.30 a.m. | Judiciary, Legal Profession & Procedure | Legal Research
In mid-June 2017, the Victorian Government saw the appointment of Douglas Trapnell QC as a judge of the County Court of Victoria as well as the appointments of barrister Mark Gibson and Catherine Parkes as Crown Prosecutors. The Victorian Director of Public Prosecution John Champion S.C. described the appointments as ‘welcomed.’
County Court Judge
On 14 June 2017, Mr Champion announced the appointment of Douglas Trapnell as a County Court Judge. Mr Trapnell has had over 30 years of experience within the Victorian criminal justice system and is ‘highly deserving of this appointment’, described Mr. Champion. Chief Crown Prosecutor Gavin Silbert SC said of Mr Trapnell:
Crown Prosecutors
Mr Gibson and Ms Parkes were both appointed Crown Prosecutors on 19 June. Mr Champion described them as “great additions” that will make “valuable contributions to the criminal justice system in Victoria.”
Mr Gibson was signed onto the Victorian Bar in 1986 and has practiced in civil, commercial and criminal law. He has practiced exclusively in criminal law for the past 15 years and has acted on behalf of the Victorian DPP and Commonwealth DPP in numerous trials involving murder, sex offences, drug offences, assault and fraud.
Ms Parkes has worked as a solicitor since 2001 before signing on to the Victorian Bar Roll in 2009. Since then, she has appeared for both prosecution and defence in Melbourne and circuit courts. The appointments of both Mr Gibson and Ms Parkes were effective from the 27 June.
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