i. typed is generally better than handwritten.
ii. Date – must be current
iii. Addressed to “the Presiding Magistrate” or “Your Honour”
iv. One or two sentences about the person writing the reference. For example: “I have been the manager at Woolworths, Lismore, for 7 years. I am also a volunteer fire-fighter and life-saver.”)
v. Mention the offence(s) – it is important the referee tells the Magistrate they know the reference is being used for a Court appearance, and what the nature of the offence(s) are. For example: “Alex told me this court appearance is related to a charge for mid-range drink driving, and spitting at a police officer.”)
vi. One or two sentences about how the referee knows you and maybe how often you have contact. For example: “I have known Alex for 9 years, since we met in high school. Alex is a trusted friend of my family and is a regular visitor to our home for dinner or social catch-up” OR if your boss is writing the reference, an example might be: “I have been Alex’s manager at Byron Car Sales for 4 years where Alex has worked full time, initially as a junior, then promoted to full time sales staff.”)
vii. One or two sentences about your general character – please have the referee use their own words to describe you For example: “I have always known Alex to be an honest person”, or “Alex is reliable and dependable and trustworthy”, or “in my experience Alex is a law-abiding, civic-minded person, and I am surprised Alex has found him/her self in this position” or “Alex is generally so mindful of his obligations to other people, this seems entirely out of character”.
viii. A sentence about your state of mind in relation to the offence, if they have one. For example: if the referee is your boss, or your neighbour, or someone you have spoken to about the offence, your referee may be in a position to state that in their observation you are “genuinely remorseful”, or “sad”, or “concerned about the impact you could have had if you had an accident” or “Alex seems genuinely troubled by her/his behaviour that night because it is so unlike Alex”. However it may be that your referee is a long-term family friend who lives interstate and they haven’t spoken, in-depth, with you about the offence, in which case, they shouldn’t write anything about how you feel.
ix. A sentence about how the referee thinks a conviction or sentence will impact your life or job or plans for the future (if there referee is in a position to do this). For example: if your boss is referee (s)he may state “If Alex is disqualified from driving for more than 3 months, I will have to terminate her/his employment” or if it’s a family friend “I am aware Alex plans to travel overseas for an extended period starting next year, and a conviction for may render this impossible or at least very difficult”.
x. Any closing remarks or additional general observations the referee thinks is relevant.
xi. Sign it. Include contact details (ideally a mobile phone number)
