Tomas accepts briefs in all criminal matters, appearing for both the defence and the prosecution at first instance and on appeal. His practice extends across related areas including inquests and commissions of inquiry, public examinations, disciplinary proceedings, environmental and regulatory prosecutions, and crime and asset confiscation proceedings.
Before coming to the Bar, Tomas worked with the Aboriginal Legal Service and the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency and later served as a Crown Prosecutor with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (NT).
Tomas has appeared in a wide range of criminal matters, including serious violence offences (such as attempted murder), complex fraud and corporate crime (including offences under the Taxation Administration Act 1953 (Cth)), firearms offences, dealing with the proceeds of crime, participation in criminal groups, serious drug matters (including importation, supply and manufacture of large quantities), complex sexual offences, and offences under the Fisheries Management Act 1994 (NSW) and the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (NSW).
He specialises in matters involving complex evidentiary issues and those requiring careful and strategic cross-examination. He has a particular interest in the intersection between commercial and criminal law, particularly in matters involving corporate and officer misconduct, fraud, breaches of duty, and regulatory or liquidator examinations (including those conducted by ASIC and the ACCC).
An experienced advocate, Tomas has appeared in complex evidentiary hearings, jury trials, and appellate matters—both led and unled. He has appeared in the Local, District and Supreme Courts of New South Wales, and in the Court of Criminal Appeal, as well as in the Northern Territory Local Court, Supreme Court and Court of Appeal.
A list of notable cases is available on request.
Tomas has a particular interest in Evidence Law. He is the author of “Section 32(1), 32(3), 33 and 38 of the Evidence Act (NSW): An Analysis, Explanation and Guide”, and has lectured in Evidence Law at Charles Sturt University.