Megan Latham

Megan Fay Latham (born 24 August 1954) was a judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales and was the sole Commissioner of the New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption from January 2014 to November 2016.

The Honourable

Megan Latham
Commissioner of the New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption
In office
28 January 2014 (2014-01-28) – 30 November 2016 (2016-11-30)
Nominated byBarry O'Farrell, Premier
Preceded byDavid Ipp
Succeeded byReginald Blanch (acting)
Judge of the Supreme Court of NSW
Assumed office
12 April 2005
Judge of the District Court of NSW
In office
7 August 1998 – 11 April 2005
Personal details
Born
Megan Fay Latham[lower-alpha 1]

(1954-08-24) 24 August 1954[1]
Brighton-Le-Sands, New South Wales, Australia
NationalityAustralian
EducationMLC School
Alma materUniversity of NSW
OccupationJudge
ProfessionSolicitor, Barrister, Judge

Background and early years

Born in 1954 and raised in the Cronulla area of Sydney, Latham was educated at MLC School, in Burwood before matriculating and studying Arts/Law at the University of New South Wales where she graduated in 1979.[2]

Between 1979 and 1982, Latham was employed as a solicitor in Leeton; and then commenced working for the NSW Government, initially in the Lands Department and then in the office of the Clerk of the Peace, prior to secondment to the Premier's Department. Latham was admitted to the New South Wales Bar Association in 1987 and appointed as a Crown Prosecutor, until 1994. In mid-1996, Latham was appointed as the first and only female Crown Advocate of New South Wales.[2]

Judicial career

Latham was sworn in as a NSW District Court judge in August 1998; and as a judge of the NSW Supreme Court in April 2005.[2]

During her time at the Supreme Court, prominent cases included the sentencing of Roger Kingsley Dean, a nurse at the Quakers Hill Nursing Home who pleaded guilty to eleven counts of murder of elderly residents, attributed to arson.[3] Dean was sentenced to life imprisonment without possibility of parole.[4]

Commissioner of the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption

Following the announcement of the premature retirement of The Honourable David Ipp QC due to ill-health in October 2013,[5] Latham was appointed as the nominee to replace Ipp as the sole Commissioner of the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption and took up her appointment in late January 2014.[6][7]

In November 2016, Latham informed the Governor of New South Wales that she intended to resign as commissioner effective 30 November, following the state government's overhaul of the commission, which would see three commissioners appointed and would require Latham to re-apply for the role.[8]

Notes
  1. Birth notice incorrectly records name as Megan Faye Latham; (with an 'e' after Fay).[1]
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References
  1. "Family Notices". The Sydney Morning Herald (36, 405). New South Wales, Australia. 26 August 1954. p. 20. Retrieved 5 December 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. "Swearing-In Ceremony of the Honourable Megan Fay Latham as a Judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales" (transcript). Supreme Court of New South Wales. 12 April 2005. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
  3. "Roger Dean pleads guilty to murder over nursing home". The Sydney Morning Herald. 27 May 2013.
  4. "Quakers Hill Nursing Home killer Roger Dean sentenced to life without parole for murders of 11 elderly residents". Daily Telegraph. Australia. 2 August 2013. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
  5. Nicholls, Sean; Whitbourn, Michaela (24 October 2013). "ICAC commissioner David Ipp announces retirement". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  6. Hemsley, Paul (4 November 2013). "NSW officially names Justice Megan Latham as new ICAC". GovernmentNews.com.au. The Intermedia Group. Archived from the original on 20 January 2014. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
  7. O'Farrell, Barry (24 October 2013). "ICAC Commissioner" (PDF). Premier of New South Wales (Press release). New South Wales Bar Association. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
  8. "Megan Latham resigns just days after Government passed legislation which effectively sacked her". ABC News. 23 November 2016. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
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