Jones v Chief of Navy [2012] ADFDAT 2

DEFENCE FORCE DISCIPLINE APPEAL TRIBUNAL

Jones v Chief of Navy [2012] ADFDAT 2 Citation: Jones v Chief of Navy [2012] ADFDAT 2

Appeal from: General Court Martial

Parties: JOHN ALAN JONES v CHIEF OF NAVY

File number: DFDAT 3 OF 2011

Judges: TRACEY J – PRESIDENT, WHITE JA – DEPUTY PRESIDENT & MILDREN J - MEMBER

Date of judgment: 22 May 2012

Catchwords: DEFENCE AND WAR – charges of indecency – seven counts of indecency found by General Court Martial –appeal – grounds – prosecutor's final address at trial prejudicial – direction made by Judge Advocate to jury – any prejudice to appellant negatived – grounds not made out – ruling made by Judge Advocate on objections to charge sheet – provision relied upon said to be unavailable - duplicity alleged – grounds not made out – provision of Crimes Act on consent said not to apply – ground not made out – Judge Advocate said to have erred in pre-trial ruling on the defence's objection to a member of the panel – application was refused – said to be reasonable grounds for inferring ostensible bias – resulting in wrongful convictions and substantial miscarriage of justice and/or material irregularity – ground not made out – fraudulent misrepresentation of fact said to have occurred – error alleged in Judge Advocate's directions to panel on whether or not complainant's consent negatived – ground not made out – convictions said to be inconsistent with acquittals – found – open to panel to conclude to requisite standard that appellant guilty – ground rejected – conviction under Charge 22 said to be unreasonable and/or could not be supported by evidence – ground upheld – Charge 22 quashed – Charge 23 laid as alternative to Charge 22 – evidence supports this charge – conviction recorded and appellant sentenced to severe reprimand – recorded telephone conversation between complainant and appellant said to be inadmissible – Judge Advocate ruled that desirability of admitting evidence outweighed undesirability of admitting it – no error in exercise of discretion – ground not made out – admission of recording of police interview with appellant – part of interview referring to covert recording – admission of this part of interview said to be erroneous – no error found – ground not made out – appellant said offences subject of convictions were indictable offences – entitled to trial by jury – ground dismissed – Tribunal bound by authority requiring rejection of ground