Hinch won’t be going to jail

Earlier this month, Derryn Hinch was found guilty of breaching a court suppression order over information he published on his Human Headline website about the Jill Meagher case.

Hinch's lawyer recently defended the claims, saying the website only had 797 individual views over a 4 day period when the suppression order was in place. 3AW reported that outside court Hinch said he was "gutted". "I just don't think I've done anything. I think I've been made the scapegoat, the whipping boy."

Hinch was back in court this morning to receive his sentence. Justice Stephen Kaye said that what Hinch had done did not impact on the Bayley trial and therefore he won't be going to jail but will be fined $100,000.

Kaye criticised the comments Hinch made to journo's outside the court that he was a “scapegoat, the whipping boy”.

“In light of your conduct out of court, and the manner in which you gave your evidence, I am satisfied that you are not genuinely remorseful for your conduct,” Justice Kaye said.

“Your conduct was grossly irresponsible. It might be tempting, but wrong, to endeavour to be populist by breaking the law.”

Kaye did describe Hinch as 'an otherwise upstanding citizen who had enjoyed a successful 53 years in the media.' and believed Hinch had accepted he was in very serious trouble and that made him less likely to commit a similar offence in the future.

After leaving court, Hinch said, “Whoever said `talk is cheap' got it wrong,”

He told reporters he had expected to go to jail but was relieved at the outcome. You can read what Hinch wrote on his Human Headline website after returning from court here.

Here's Hinch on his old 3AW drive shift talking to Tom Elliott about his sentencing :-
http://media.mytalk.com.au/3aw/audio/181013_Hinch.mp3
or hear it here.

Read more in The Australian here.