Conway v The Queen [2000] FCA 461

FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Conway v The Queen [2000] FCA 461 Criminal Law - murder - appeal against conviction - admissibility of evidence - evidence of relationship - whether evidence constituted propensity evidence that should have been excluded - meaning and scope of "propensity evidence" - whether evidence of oral representation by the deceased that the accused administered a drug to her some days before her murder is admissible as an exception to the hearsay rule - whether deceased's oral statements made shortly after the asserted fact - whether deceased's representation made in circumstances that make it unlikely that the representation is a fabrication - whether deceased's representation made in circumstances that make it highly probable that the representation is reliable - whether similar representation recorded by the deceased in her diary is admissible as an exception to the hearsay rule - whether directions to the jury on the use of relationship evidence adequate. Criminal Law - murder - appeal against conviction - accomplices - warning - need for under ss 164 and 165 of the Evidence Act 1995 (Cth) - whether adequate warning given in the circumstances of the case - whether items of evidence identified by the trial judge were capable of corroborating the evidence of the accomplices - whether incorrect identification led to miscarriage of justice. Criminal Law - murder - appeal against conviction - whether sufficient direction on co-conspirator rule - whether trial judge's intervention during cross-examination of co-accused caused trial to miscarry - whether evidence of an out of court statement by a co-accused wrongly rejected - whether proper directions given on evidence of good character - whether question arose as to an accused's fitness to stand trial - whether trial judge failed to properly direct on accused's failure to recall certain events - whether trial judge failed to adequately put the defence case of one accused to the jury. Evidence Act 1995 (Cth), ss 43, 44, 59, 60, 65, 66, 72, 97, 98, 101, 110, 136, 137,164, 165 Law and Justice Legislation Amendment Act 1999 (Cth), s 13 Crimes Act 1900 (ACT), ss 345, 428E Mental Health (Treatment and Care) Act 1994 (ACT), s 68