Martin Hinton steps down from South Australian supreme court in 2019 in return to prosecutions leader
Martin Hinton became the third South Australian solicitor-general, after chief justice Chris Kourakis and his predecessor John Doyle, to move from the crown solicitor’s office to the supreme court bench.
South Australian supreme court judge Martin Hinton made a surprise exit from the bench in 2019 to become the state’s director of public prosecutions.
Hinton followed Robyn Layton, in 2010, as being the only ones in the state’s history to step down from the supreme court for another role. The director of public prosecutions role was advertised nationally after the state government opted to spill the position, rather than reappoint Adam Kimber SC when his term ended.
Hinton already had wide experience as a prosecutor. After studying law at Adelaide University admitted to the bar in 1989, Hinton was also admitted to practise in the United Kingdom in 1992 and had several years working in London as a senior crown prosecutor.
He was a senior prosecutor in the South Australian office of the director of public prosecutions for eight years and served as deputy director of public prosecutions before being appointed as the state’s solicitor-general in 2008 – two years after being appointed Queen’s Counsel.
Having prosecuted matters ranging from breaches of fishing law to homicides, Hinton also routinely appeared in the Australian high court, representing the state government in challenges to bikie laws, and the director of public prosecutions in contentious constitutional matters. Hinton’s appearances for the state government included Henry Keogh’s earlier appeals against his murder conviction, the case of Chad Parenzee, who endangered his partners through unprotected sex; and the Eugene McGee case.
Hinton became renowned for his expertise in white collar crime and led high-profile cases including the prosecution of Mobil for an oil spill at Port Stanvac.
Hinton became the third solicitor-general, after chief justice Chris Kourakis and his predecessor John Doyle, to move from the crown solicitor’s office to the supreme court bench. Hinton’s seven-year term as director of public prosecutions will be at the same salary as a supreme court justice of $458,840.
Hinton was also an adjunct associate professor of law at Adelaide University with widely published in legal journals. General. He has been chair of the University of Adelaide law school advisory board, chair of the indigenous law students mentoring program, director of the Australian academy of law and a member of the Australian institute of judicial administration’s Indigenous justice committee.
