R v Schwenke (No.2) [2021] NSWDC 248

District Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: R v Schwenke (No.2) [2021] NSWDC 248 Hearing dates: 7 June 2021 – 10 June 2021 Date of orders: 10 June 2021 Decision date: 10 June 2021 Jurisdiction: Criminal Before: Abadee DCJ Decision: See paragraph 55 Catchwords: CRIMINAL LAW - procedure - application for directed verdict - whether defect in evidence present - whether absence of evidence of essential element in offence STATUTES - interpretation - words and phrases - s 37(1A) of the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) - meaning of the word 'chokes' - significance of purposive construction - relevance of tenet of construction that ambiguous penal provisions should be interpreted in favour of accused Legislation Cited: Crimes Act 1900 (ACT) s 28 Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) s 37 Criminal Code 1899 (Qld) s 315A Criminal Procedure Act 1986 (NSW) s 289F Interpretation Act 1987 (NSW) s 33 Cases Cited: Australian Securities Commission v Marlborough Gold Mines Ltd (1993) 177 CLR 485 Doney v R (1990) 171 CLR 207 LK v The Queen (2010) 241 CLR 177 Marshall v Director-General of Department of Transport (Qld) (2001) 205 CLR 603 R v AJB [2019] QDC 169 R v Green (No.3) [2019] ACTSC 96 R v HBZ [2020] QCA 73 R v R (1989) 18 NSWLR 74 The Queen v A2 (2019) 373 ALR 214 Texts Cited: Second Reading Speech, Crimes Legislation Amendment Bill, Legislative Assembly, 17 October 2018 Category: Procedural rulings Parties: Director of Public Prosecutions (NSW) Mr G Schwenke (the accused) Representation: Counsel: Mr P Lowe for the Director of Public Prosecutions (NSW) Mr S Molloy for the accused