Overview
- On Sept 4, Dennis’s lawyer lodged a written application asking Judge Ian Press to recuse himself and the District Court adjourned the matter to Sept 22 for further written submissions.
- Dennis pleaded guilty in July to driving while disqualified after police found him driving on June 11 with two children in the vehicle and the car was impounded.
- Judge Ian Press is the judge whose 2024 sentence gave Dennis a 17-month prison term suspended on a two-year good-behaviour bond and imposed a five-year driving ban.
- If the court finds Dennis breached his suspended sentence or bond, South Australian law allows the court to impose immediate custody, so a custodial sentence remains a real possibility.
- His lawyer says written submissions will be filed before the next hearing and the recusal outcome will shape who decides the penalty and influence public confidence in how the courts handle this high-profile case.