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I'm the bunny: Hinch on conviction

Broadcaster Derryn Hinch is continuing to maintain he didn't do anything wrong and is being made a scapegoat after being found guilty of contempt.

Broadcaster Derryn Hinch
Derryn Hinch is maintaining he didn't do anything wrong after being found guilty of contempt. (AAP)

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Source: AAP


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Broadcaster Derryn Hinch is maintaining he's been made a social media "bunny" after being found guilty of breaching a court suppression order in the Jill Meagher case.

Hinch says he published the material in question hours before the suppression order was made, though he acknowledges the judge said it should have come down from his blog earlier.

"What angered me and upset me was I think I have been the bunny here. I don't believe I was guilty," he told the Seven Network on Thursday.

Other newspapers published articles that could have been considered in contempt of court but got away with it, he said.

"They didn't get charged. I did. I think I was the social media example because the suppression order was brought down five hours after my story."

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He also said he believed social media behaved "dreadfully, irresponsibly, reprehensibly" over the Meagher case.

Hinch said after a long history of falling foul of the law, he was familiar with the concept of contempt.

"I'm very aware of contempt of court... I am very cognisant of what constitutes contempt of court. I don't believe on this occasion I was guilty."

Hinch was charged after using his Human Headline website to publish information about convicted rapist and murderer Adrian Ernest Bayley that had been suppressed in the Victorian Supreme Court.

Victorian Supreme Court Justice Stephen Kaye on Wednesday found Hinch guilty of breaching a court order but not guilty of common law contempt.

Sentencing submissions will be made on Friday next week.

On his website, Hinch published details of Bayley's earlier rape convictions and reported that the killer's parents had warned police shortly before Ms Meagher's murder that they feared he might attack a woman.

Hinch also reported that police investigating sex crimes had approached the parole board to have Bayley's parole revoked.


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