R v Brookman [2021] NSWDC 110

District Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: R v Brookman [2021] NSWDC 110 Hearing dates: 23 – 24 March 2021 Date of orders: 25 March 2021 Decision date: 25 March 2021 Jurisdiction: Criminal Before: Abadee DCJ Decision: See paragraphs 71, 93, 110, 151, 178 Catchwords: CRIMINAL PROCEDURE – historical sexual assault offence – pre-trial applications – application to adduce evidence regarding complainant's sexual experience – Criminal Procedure Act (NSW) s 293 – application for trial by judge alone – concern about 'unfair prejudice' arising from apprehended disclosure of accused undergoing sexual reorientation after alleged offending – relevance of COVID-19 measures post lockdown EVIDENCE – criminal proceeding – tendency evidence – presumption that evidence of accused's sexual interest in complainant, and/or young males has significant probative value – whether sufficient grounds for finding such evidence does not have significant probative value – whether exceptional circumstances arise so as to enable excluded matters proscribed by s 97A(5) to be taken into account – complaint evidence – whether evidence 'fresh in the memory' Legislation Cited: COVID-19 Legislation Amendment (Stronger Communities and Health) Bill 2021 (NSW) Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) s 61E Criminal Procedure Act 1986 (NSW) ss 132, 293, 365, 366 Evidence Act 1995 (NSW) ss 66, 94, 97, 97A, 101. 137, 293 Cases Cited: Ayturgrul v The Queen (2012) 247 CLR 170 DPP v Farrugia [2017] NSWCCA 197 Hughes v The Queen (2017) 263 CLR 338 IMM v The Queen (2016) 90 ALJR 529 Jackmain v R [2020] NSWCCA 150 JWM v R [2020] NSWCCA 248 McPhillamy v The Queen (2018) 92 ALJR 105 R v BD (No.1) [2020] NSWDC 150 R v Burton [2013] NSWCCA 335 R v Coleman [2020] ACTSC 97 R v Edwards [2015] NSWCCA 24 R v Gregory-Roberts [2016] NSWCCA 92 R v Jamal (2008) 72 NSWLR 258 R v Obeid [2015] NSWSC 897 R v Stanley [2013] NSWCCA 124 R v XY (2010) 79 NSWLR 629 The Queen v Bauer (2018) 92 ALJR 846 Texts Cited: New South Wales Legislative Assembly, Parliamentary Debates (Hansard), 25 February 2020 Stephen Odgers, Uniform Evidence Law (15th ed, 2020, Thomson Reuters) Category: Procedural rulings Parties: Director of Public Prosecutions (NSW) Mr R Brookman (the accused) Representation: Solicitors: Solicitor Advocate for the Director of Public Prosecutions (NSW) Mr G Walsh (solicitor) for the accused File Number(s): 2020/12398