A former chief magistrate’s take on Judge Gaynor’s extraordinary verbal spray

A former Victorian Chief Magistrate says Judge Liz Gaynor went a “little bit over the top” when she delivered a scathing address while sentencing the two men who nearly killed Tony Mokbel in Barwon Prison.

But Nick Papas QC said he understood why Judge Gaynor spoke the way she did.

In scenes rarely seen inside court, Judge Gaynor told Teira Bennett and Eldea Teuira they were destined to become “lonely old men” with drug and family issues if they did not change their ways.

Nick Papas QC said Judge Gaynor would likely concede she was a “bit too robust” with her comments.

“But a little plain speaking, sometimes, is very helpful,” Nick Papas told 3AW Mornings.

“You’d rarely see that from judges, though, that style of communication.”

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