Mary Ann is charged with being an “an idle and disorderly person

Mary Ann is charged with being an “an idle and disorderly person and a companion of reputed thieves, having no visible means of support or fixed place of residence”, and sentenced to six months imprisonment at East Maitland gaol. There is immediate controversy in the Legislative Assembly over this “perversion of justice”. The governor intervenes and Mary Ann is released after serving only a short part of her sentence. (Jansen, 1996: 6) This incident leads to legal reforms to ensure that such perversions of justice did not occur again.. (Arwarbukarl Cultural Resource Association, ACRA)