_Sam Pararajasingham

Admitted as a legal practitioner in 2009
Admitted as a barrister in 2011

Principal areas of practice

  • Criminal law
  • Corporate crime
  • Appellate

Sam Pararajasingham is a criminal defence barrister specialising in trials before juries and appeals against conviction and sentence to the Court of Criminal Appeal.
 
Graduating with Honours from the University of Sydney, Sam commenced practice as a solicitor at a top tier corporate law firm, Minter Ellison Lawyers. Shortly thereafter Sam decided to pursue a career in the criminal law working as a solicitor at the Aboriginal Legal Service in regional NSW. He also assisted Phillip Boulten SC and Murugan Thangaraj SC with legal research tasks.
 
In 2011 Sam commenced practice at the Bar. Sam has appeared in jury trials across the state, defending Accused persons charged with serious criminal matters ranging from matters of complex fraud to murder and drug trafficking.  He is currently briefed for the defence in a prosecution against section 27 of the Charter of the UN Security Act 1945. The first of its kind in Australia.
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Sam has appeared at the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) and NSW Crime Commission hearings and advised directors/corporations regarding criminal liability under State and Federal legislation. Sam is briefed on behalf of an interested party in the long running public enquiry into Canterbury Council and currently appears for an individual in the public enquiry into the former MP for Wagga Wagga. Sam is also presently briefed for a party in a recently commenced banking cartel prosecution as well as in a foreign bribery prosecution.


Sam has also appeared led and unled in the Court of Criminal Appeal in appeals against conviction and sentence.  Sam also appears in the High Court.  Recent examples of appellate cases include:

  • SY v R [2020] NSWCCA 320 – appeal against sentence to Court of Criminal Appeal concerning assessment of objective seriousness and discount for assistance (led by Murugan Thangaraj SC)
 
  • Sidaros v R (No.2) [2020] ACTCA 39 – appeal against conviction to ACT Court of Appeal (led by Bret Walker SC)
 
  • Sidaros v The Queen [2020] ACTCA 11 – appeal against interlocutory decision to ACT Court of Appeal concerning the application of sections 90 and 138 Evidence Act 2011 (ACT) (led by Stephen Odgers SC)
     
  • Restricted judgment [2018] NSWCCA 217 – appeal against conviction to Court of Criminal Appeal concerning the application of section 137 Evidence Act (led by Stephen Odgers SC)
 
  • Chong v R [2017] NSWCCA 185 – appeal against sentence to Court of Criminal Appeal concerning the denial of procedural fairness by the sentencing judge to the offender and the offender’s representative at sentence hearing (unled)
   
  • MJB v R [2016] NSWCCA 210 – appeal against sentence to Court of Criminal Appeal concerning what constitutes “exceptional assistance to authorities”, warranting a combined discount on sentence in excess of 50% (unled)
 
  • Lee v R; Tang v R [2015] NSWCCA 157 – appeal against conviction to Court of Criminal Appeal concerning an irregularity at trial due to the illiteracy of one juror (led by Murugan Thangaraj SC)
 
  • Lee v R (2014) 308 ALR 252 – appeal to High Court concerning the illegal possession at trial by the prosecution of the appellant’s compulsory interview before the NSW Crime Commission and the proper construction of the compulsory examination provisions in the NSW Crime Commission Act 1985 (led by Tim Game SC)
 
  • Saoud v R (2014) 87 NSWLR 481 – appeal against conviction to Court of Criminal Appeal concerning the admissibility of tendency and coincidence evidence adduced at trial (led by Murugan Thangaraj SC)
     
  • Ronald Coles v R [2016] NSWCCA 32 – appeal against sentence to Court of Criminal Appeal concerning the delay between the commission of offence and sentence as mitigating punishment (unled)
 
  • Trevor Leonard Martin v R [2015] NSWCCA 6 – appeal against sentence to Court of Criminal Appeal concerning the relevance of an offender’s mental health in the exercise of the sentencing discretion (led by Graham Turnbull SC)
 
  • Lee v R [2013] NSWCCA 68 – appeal against conviction to Court of Criminal Appeal concerning unreasonable jury verdicts (unled)
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  • Brown v R (2013) 228 A Crim R 298 – appeal against sentence to Court of Criminal Appeal concerning discount on sentence for quasi-custodial bail conditions (unled)
 
Sam previously played 1st grade for Western Suburbs in the NSW Premier Cricket Competition. He is currently on the Board of Western Suburbs District Cricket Club.

Sam has also lectured in Evidence Law at the University of Sydney.

Sam is the author of the text Navigating Uniform Evidence Law published by Thomson Reuters (Professional) Australia Limited.


For further details or enquiries regarding Sam Pararajasingham's areas of expertise, fees and terms of engagement please contact his Clerk.

CONTACT HERE
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