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Tuesday, July 14, 2020
Breaking News: Morrison Jazz Academy Student Matthew Harkins Pleads Guilty To Indecent Assault
Howdy dear availees, just heard this on the ABC/BBC World News Radio...there's a story on the AdelaideNow website but it's behind a paywall...TMGI covered this issue and the then still upcoming trial in a post 11th November 2019, Latest Morrison Jazz Academy Sexual Assault Issue...if you haven't already read it or need reminding, please avail yourselves of that lengthy post 'cos it includes my dissection/observations of the story, particularly Morrison's extraordinary comments and actions...I've re-posted the related article from The Age newspaper, and note that it refers to the trial continuing on March 23 2020...***
Court allows jazz musician accused of raping student to join tour with James Morrison
A
jazz musician charged with raping a fellow student of a prestigious
music academy run by James Morrison had his bail adjusted so he could
tour with the famous trumpeter in Melbourne.
American saxophonist
Matthew Harkins, 26, is due to face trial in South Australia next year
having pleaded not guilty to two counts of rape after he allegedly
assaulted a woman while they both attended the James Morrison Academy in
Mount Gambier.
Harkins, who is not allowed to leave South
Australia, applied to the District Court for special permission to
travel to Melbourne two weeks ago.
His application was successful
and on October 19 he performed on stage with the academy’s orchestra and
Morrison at the Jazz Lab in Brunswick.
Matthew Harkins (right) with Australian jazz musician James Morrison in 2016.Credit:Instagram
His
alleged victim now lives in Melbourne and was not informed by the
police or court that Harkins would be travelling to Victoria.
A
photo posted on social media by Morrison shows Harkins playing saxophone
alongside him during the gig, which was recorded live with plans to
release it as an album.
Harkins, originally from Maine in the
United States, pleaded not guilty to the charges at an arraignment
hearing in Mount Gambier on October 15.
On the same day, he signed
an adjusted bail agreement giving him permission to travel to Victoria
between October 18 and 19. His residence during the trip was listed as
the YHA hostel in North Melbourne.
Harkins was instructed to report to Mount Gambier police station 24 hours after his return.
The application to vary Harkins’ bail was not opposed by police, according to a transcript of the court proceeding.
Harkins' lawyer was contacted for comment.
Morrison said it would be inappropriate to make any comment about Harkins while he faced criminal charges.
Matthew Harkins.Credit:Facebook"In
addition, the wellbeing (and privacy) of all our students is our
primary concern and I don’t feel (particularly the survivor) needs to be
reading in the paper comments from me about how we looked after her,"
he said in an email written while on tour in Brazil.
On
the academy's website, Morrison explains that one of the reasons for
setting up the school in Mount Gambier was to create a community among
students who don’t have the distractions of a big city.
"It’s kind
of like when you go to band camp – everybody there is into the music
and when you’re not actually in class, you’re still with your colleagues
who are passionate about jazz," he says on the academy’s website.
"Students
at the JM Academy will benefit from living in close proximity to each
other and when class ends for the day, instead of all going your
separate ways, they can hang out together and maintain the ‘jazz’
atmosphere."
The academy was opened in 2015 with the help of
$500,000 grant from the South Australian state government. It is
affiliated with the University of South Australia, which enrols the
students. Morrison is the head of school and his wife, Judi, is the
executive director.
In 2017, the academy pledged to identify ways
to prevent and respond to sexual harassment and sexual assault after
separate allegations were raised against a staff member.
"The academy has policies dealing with sexual assault and sexual harassment that have been approved by UniSA," Morrison said.
As
of next year, the academy will no longer accept enrolments for its
three-year bachelor of music. One-year diploma and honours courses will
still be offered. Morrison said this was due to a change in federal
funding arrangements.
A University of South Australia spokesperson
said it would be inappropriate to comment on the matter while it was
before the courts.
"The University of South Australia takes the
safety and wellbeing of every one of its students and staff very
seriously and has comprehensive policies and support services in
relation to this," the spokesperson said.
A trial has been set for March 23, 2020.
***...and I've not seen or heard this case being reported in Mt Gambier, and I'll be pleasantly stunned if even this 'Guilty Plea' makes the news here, as the usual Pro-Paedophile Corrupt stooges in the local media continue to protect their mates and their own self-interests...
If I wasn't angry and depressed enough about this issue already, and how it directly relates to mates protecting mates, to perpetrators protecting perpetrators, and the ongoing cover-up of Jazz Academy teacher Graeme Lyall grooming and raping a student, and the cover-up of the abuse of dozens of 7 year old kids by "text-book grooming paedophile" teacher Glyn Dorling, that is, the St Martins Lutheran School Child Abuse Cover-up, etc, etc, etc, if I wasn't angry enough at us as a society that allows and apparently supports these outrageous incidents and associated cover-ups, then reading through this again fundamentally re-fuels that furnace...and here's the link and brief outline of that story from AdelaideNow...note that it identifies a "plea bargain to avoid rape trial"...***
2 hours ago - Matthew Allen Harkins, student of jazz legend James Morrison, strikes plea bargain to avoid rape trial over sexual assault of fellow music ...
***From what I caught of the ABC/BBC Radio report, Morrison wrote Harkins a glowing character reference, and Harkin's lawyer and/or Morrison requested that despite this 'Guilty Plea', that 'No Conviction' be recorded because 'it would negatively impact on Harkin's desired career as a music teacher'...unfortunately I didn't pick-up whether that 'request' had been granted/approved by the Court, and I believe that the matter has been adjourned to decide sentencing...Language Warning...what the actual fuck, how strong was the Prosecution case that Harkin's did a 'Plea Deal'? and given the 'Guilty Plea', how can 'No Conviction' even be considered...End Language Warning...and I ain't no lawyer but surely there can't be a gaol term and a 'No Conviction, dunno', maybe there can...
And another story has just been posted on The West Australian website, but again it's behind a paywall, so here's the link which unfortunately takes you back to AdelaideNow, and also, the TWA headline, as apparently sourced from Sean Fewster (The Advertiser)...***
3 hours ago - A student of legendary jazz trumpeter James Morrison has avoided a rape trial with a plea bargain, saying he should have been more careful ...
Matthew Allen Harkins, student of jazz legend James Morrison, strikes plea
bargain to avoid rape trial over sexual assault of fellow music academy
student
***And as happens, the reportage of this story has overtaken this post, and here's what the ABC has to say about it...I've removed the 2 photos because it wouldn't format properly, so please see ABC website's full story for those, link provided just below...***
1 hour ago - Matthew Allen Harkins, 26, will be sentenced next month in the South Australian District Court after today pleading guilty to one count of indecent...
Jazz musician James Morrison writes reference for student who admitted indecent assault
Australian jazz musician James Morrison has written a
character reference for an American saxophonist who indecently assaulted
a woman while studying at a prestigious South Australian music academy.
Key points:
Matthew Allen Harkins was a student at the James Morrison Academy when the assault took place
Harkins faces a maximum of eight years in jail for the offence
His lawyer asked a judge not to record a conviction because it would harm his client's career
Matthew
Allen Harkins, 26, will be sentenced next month in the South Australian
District Court after today pleading guilty to one count of indecent
assault.
His plea came after two counts of rape, a more serious charge, were withdrawn by prosecutors.
The
court heard Harkins was a student at the James Morrison Academy of
Music in Mount Gambier when he took a consensual sexual encounter too
far.
Bill Boucaut SC, for Harkins, urged Judge Rauf
Soulio not to record a conviction against his client's name because it
would jeopardise his ambitions to become a music teacher in the future.
"Mr Harkins has never been in trouble before," he said.
"His father is a talented pianist — he inherited his father's gift. He is a highly accomplished musician."
Mr
Boucaut said Harkins was a man with an "exemplary character", before
handing Judge Soulio a bunch of character references, including one
written by James Morrison.
He said Harkins took a gap year in 2015 and travelled
to Australia and New Zealand with a friend before one of his teachers
from the US encouraged him to audition for James Morrison in Sydney.
The court was told he was accepted into the James Morrison Academy for Music with "flying colours" in 2017.
"As
for his future plans, he wants to make a career out of music. He wants
to either maintain contact with the music industry as a session player,
or a band, or both," Mr Boucaut said.
The
court heard Harkins's visa expired six months ago but he could stay in
Australia until his criminal prosecution was finalised.
But prosecutors told the court that the offending was too serious not to attract a conviction.
Harkins faces a maximum of eight years in jail for the offence.
***...and I cannot reconcile how 2 charges of Rape is reduced to 1 charge/'Guilty Plea' of 'Indecent Assault'...what does 'Indecent Assault' even mean?...and I'm extremely disturbed about this supposed explanation/excuse that Harkins "took a consensual sexual encounter too far."...to me that reeks of 'Victim Blaming', effectively stating that the young woman changed her mind so he's not really to be blamed, so it's not really Rape, etc...nor do I understand how his father's piano prowess is even relevant...there is now a further story on MSN, apparently sourced from the ABC...***
1 hour ago - Jazz musician James Morrison writes reference for student who admitted ... Provided by ABC NEWS Matthew Harkins admitted indecently assaulting a ... Matthew Allen Harkins, 26, will be sentenced next month in the South ...
***And even after admitting to the reduced single charge of Indecent Assault, James Morrison still provides a character reference, and these people actually want to argue that Harkin's desire for a future career is somehow a mitigating circumstance...as I understand it, this 'Plea Deal' also denies the young woman involved the opportunity to confront her 'Rapist/Assaulter'...possibly this is a good thing for her, sparing her from vicious cross-examination and associated character assassination, etc, and she might have even been involved in this decision...I don't know and it's not reported...however, I do understand that she has 'stopped' her musical studies and even her career, and it raises the issue of how that relates/compares to Harkins' desire to continue his musical career and the associated requests for relative clemency, etc...
I'm gunna' end here 'cos it's really doing my head in, and I can only imagine how it's affecting the young woman involved and the other Jazz Academy students who have had similar experiences...and I say "students" plural because I know of at least one Rape by former teacher Graeme Lyall, and how James Morrison and the Jazz Academy/Generations In Jazz have been complicitly involved in covering that up, so I find it inconceivably improbable that these Rapes/Sexual Assaults are isolated incidents...for my experience of these issues, there is a pattern of behaviour and conduct here that displays/denotes an attitude and a culture...and as always with these things, I'd rather be wrong, but I'm confident that what I've described is exactly as it appears, a 'culture' of abuse and cover-up...
Tomorrow: Not Sure, But I'll Get To Something
And I don't write this enough perhaps, but, if this post raises issues for you about your own experiences, etc, please reach-out to someone for support, and may you find it...if you want to contact me just leave a message via Comments, which you can do 'anonymously', and I can't promise anything other than that I will try to do something...
I am Nick Fletcher and this is my blog..cheers and laters...
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