Top judge accused of showing child abuse material to uni students during class is granted extraordinary wish in court

A former judge accused of showing child abuse content to law students will head overseas on a European holiday while on bail. 

Former Fair Work Commission senior deputy president Justice Alan Boulton, 74, has been charged over material allegedly displayed in the last 15 minutes of a lecture at Monash University’s Melbourne CBD campus on February 5.

The university referred the matter to Victoria Police, which seized multiple electronic devices during a raid on Boulton’s inner-city Middle Park home a week later.

He has since been charged with one count of possessing child abuse material as a Commonwealth offence and two counts of possessing child abuse material following a ‘lengthy’ investigation by detectives.

Boulton appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Thursday via video link where his lawyer asked Magistrate Brett Sonnet to make an exception to the near-standard bail condition for alleged sex offenders.

The application to allow Boulton to travel overseas was opposed by prosecutors, who wanted his passport to be surrendered, but his lawyer argued her client had spent a large amount on his international getaway.  

‘My instructor has been upfront with the informant and police throughout the entirety of this investigation and provided them on July 23 with information about Mr Boulton’s future trip,’ his lawyer argued. 

‘No issue was taken with that. On that basis he booked the trip. A serious amount of money has been spent on that trip.’

The court heard police had been provided with Boulton’s flight details and his itinerary. 

His lawyer argued Boulton had travelled overseas in May while under investigation by police and had returned to Australia without absconding. 

In ruling that Boulton should be allowed to go on the holiday, Mr Sonnet accepted Boulton had no prior criminal history and no issues with police while on bail. 

‘Madam Prosecutor, I’m not persuaded that I should impose (those conditions),’ Mr Sonnet said. 

The prosecution continued to oppose his right to travel, but without success. 

‘The accused did return from an overseas trip earlier this year,’ the prosecutor said.

‘At the time … it was still an investigation. Charges hadn’t been laid at that occasion.’ 

Mr Sonnet – the brother of career criminal Sean Sonnet, who was the former lieutenant of gangland boss Carl Williams – said he further took into account Boulton’s age in coming to his decision. 

‘In my view, the first three conditions are appropriate in all the circumstances. The application to impose (those other conditions) is refused by the court,’ he said. 

Those three conditions relate to Boulton’s living arrangements while in Victoria and for him not to contact any prosecution witnesses.  

Police have until September 18 to supply the court its brief of evidence against Boulton, who will not be required to return to court again until late November. 

Boulton had been a senior fellow of the Faculty of Law at Monash University, regarded as one of Australia’s most prestigious universities and ranked among the top 50 worldwide.

He was immediately suspended and removed from all teaching duties following the alleged showing of the child abuse material.

‘Monash University was made aware of concerns relating to an incident in February 2025, and referred the matter to Victoria Police,’ a spokesperson told Daily Mail.

A student who attended the human rights lecture has since recalled his shock as the alleged incident unfolded. 

‘You don’t obviously expect when you’re in class to see something like that,’ he told Seven News. 

‘I had one female friend in the class who was quite disturbed by what they’d seen.

‘You don’t come into a learning environment with a teacher, a chief examiner and expect to come into that situation.

‘I don’t think that you’d wish that upon anyone.’