Byron Shire local government still making the news re domestic violence allegations against a former mayor and now current councillor

In September 2024 Michael Lyon lost his bid for re-election as Byron Shire mayor by a very wide margin and limped into the ranks of shire councillors.

Since then.......

ECHO, 11 October 2021:

While Cr Michael Lyon was affirming himself to undertake the duties of office on Thursday morning in the Byron Shire Council Chambers, most people in the room wouldn’t have known that the ex-mayor had recently spent a night in the police watch house after allegedly breaching an AVO placed on him in August.

Staff from the Tweed Byron Police say that at about 2.20pm on Sunday, October 6, police were called to a home at The Pocket, following reports of a domestic incident.

Officers attached to Tweed Byron Police District arrived and were told a man, Cr Michael Lyon, had allegedly breached an enforceable AVO.

Cr Michael Lyon arrested at The Pocket

No injuries were reported at the premises on the day. Following inquiries, police arrested Cr Lyon at the scene.

He was taken to Byron Bay Police Station where was charged with breach apprehended Domestic Violence Order, intimidation (DV) and breach of bail.

Cr Lyon was refused bail to appear before Lismore Local Court on Monday, October 7....

As well as the new charges from the weekend incident, Cr Lyon will face two charges – one count of assault and one count of stalk/intimidate, to be heard on March 11, 2025 at Tweed Heads Courthouse, with a mention of the AVO also scheduled for that date.

ECHO, 21 October 2021:

Byron Bay’s former mayor and current councillor Michael Lyon was back in court today, following his alleged breach of an AVO earlier this month at The Pocket....

...the court was told Michael Lyon was pleading not guilty to the most recent charges of stalk/intimidation and breaching the existing apprehended violence order, both in relation to his wife.

There was then some discussion about whether all the charges could be heard on the already established date at Tweed Heads Court House on 11 March 2025. Cr Layon’s lawyer, Mr Weller, said he had made preliminary enquiries with the court, and estimated an additional 90 minutes would be required to hear the latest charges.

Magistrate Stafford asked, ‘What’s the more substantive charge?’ Mr Weller replied, ‘assault’ before attempting to say something about the alleged victim filing documents to withdraw the charge, but Magistrate Stafford cut him off abruptly.

Mr Croner confirmed that the DPP had carriage of both matters, and was happy for the cases to be run together at Tweed Heads on 11 March. The magistrate said all this was a waste of the court’s time, and that the parties should have organised themselves better in advance.

Why Tweed?

Apparently unfamiliar with the Lyon case, Magistrate Stafford then asked why the matter was ever sent to Tweed Heads. Croner explained that the case was heard outside Byron Bay because of the defendant’s position in the local community (Cr Lyon was mayor at the time of the original alleged DV charges in August 2024).

Mr Weller next sought to bring the matter forward to next Monday, but the magistrate said that was too soon, as the court’s listings were overwhelmed.

She then decided to fix the next court date (another mention, to fix a hearing date) to 11 November 2024 in Tweed Heads. Michael Lyon looked visibly distressed at this news.

A discussion of AVO and bail conditions followed, with nothing being substantively changed. Cr Lyon remains unable to visit the property at The Pocket without the prior written agreement of his wife, and he is only able to contact her via a lawyer.

Note: The most recent domestic violence crime statistics released by NSW BOCSAR show that in the twelve months to June 2024 there were 1,074 females in the Richmond-Tweed statistical area reported by NSW Police as experiencing domestic violence.

With 116 of these domestic violence assaults occurring in the Byron Shire local government area, producing a Byron domestic violence assault rate per 100,000 population of 317.7.

Bridget Archer MP speaking in support of Motion seeking to bring Australian journalist & activist home: "For more than 4½ thousand days and counting, Julian Assange has not experienced true freedom. We're now just a week away from a decision on his final UK court appeal, where he faces up to 175 years in prison over 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse. We know that his life is at risk."

 

Hansard, Votes and Proceedings, Motions, Wednesday 14 February 2024:

Assange, Mr. Julian Paul

Mr WILKIE (Clark) (16:48): I move:

That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the following:

(1) the Member for Clark moving:

That this House:

(a) notes that:

(i) on 20 and 21 February 2024, the High Court of Justice in the United Kingdom will hold a hearing into whether Walkley Award winning journalist, Mr Julian Assange, can appeal against his extradition to the United States of America;

(ii) Mr Assange remains incarcerated in HMP Belmarsh in the UK, awaiting a decision on whether he can be extradited to the USA to face charges for material published in 2010, which revealed shocking evidence of misconduct by the USA; and

(iii) both the Australian Government and Opposition have publicly stated that this matter has gone on for too long; and

(b) underlines the importance of the UK and USA bringing the matter to a close so that Mr Assange can return home to his family in Australia.

(2) debate on the motion being limited to the mover, seconder and two other Members;

(3) speaking times being 10 minutes for the mover and five minutes for all other Members speaking;

(4) amendments to the motion not being permitted; and

(5) any variation to the arrangement being made only on a motion moved by a Minister.

The SPEAKER: Is the motion seconded?

Mr Josh Wilson: I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.....

(Speakers to the motion were Andrew Wilke MP Independent, Josh Wilson MP Labor Party, Bridget Archer MP Liberal Party and Adam Paul Bandt MP The Greens. All spoke in support of the motion) 

The House divided. [17:20]

(The Speaker—Hon. Milton Dick)

DIVISION: AYES 86 (44 majority) NOES 42 PAIRS 0

Right click on image to enlarge

Question agreed to.