R v Leung; R v Webster (No. 4) [2022] NSWDC 553

District Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: R v Leung; R v Webster (No. 4) [2022] NSWDC 553 Hearing dates: 5-8, 11-14, 19-22, 28-29 April 2022, 9 May 2022. Date of orders: 29 April 2022, 9 May 2022. Decision date: 09 May 2022 Jurisdiction: Criminal Before: Neilson DCJ Decision: See pars [223]-[228], [291]-[297]. Catchwords: CRIME – CRIMINAL TRIAL BY JUDGE ALONE – Indictment containing 8 counts (see [92]) against 2 accused – Charges included manufacture of a commercial quantity of cocaine; knowingly take part in the manufacture (supply precursor); supply of drugs; and failure to inform police of serious indictable offence – Crown case on all counts purely circumstantial – Assessment of the evidence adduced by the Crown. Legislation Cited: Crimes Act 1914 (Cth) Drug Misuse and Trafficking Act 1985 (NSW) Evidence Act 1995 (NSW) Cases Cited: Alliston v R [2011] NSWCCA 281 Attwood v R (1960) 102 CLR 353 Braysich v R (2011) 243 CLR 434 Melbourne v R (1999) 198 CLR 1 Pereira v Director of Public Prosecutions (1988) 63 ALJR 1 R v Jasper [2003] NSWCCA 186; (2003) 139 A Crim R 329 R v Kuroz [2020] NSWDC 427 R v Leung; R v Webster (No. 1) [2022] NSWDC 137 R v Ruiz-Avila [2003] NSWCCA 264 R v Sheen [2007] NSWCCA 45; (2007) 170 A Crim R 533 R v Wass [2021] NSWDC 414 Shepherd v R (1990) 170 CLR 573 Wilson v Director of Public Prosecutions [2017] NSWCA 128 Texts Cited: Sir Edward Coke, The First Part of the Institutes of the Lawes of England. Or, a Commentarie Upon Littleton, Not the Name of a Lawyer Onely, but of the Law It Selfe (1st ed, 1628) Voltaire (François-Marie Arouet), Candide Category: Principal judgment Parties: R – Crown First Accused – Canny Leung Second Accused – Cameron Stewart Webster Representation: Counsel: Crown – Nightingale, K. First Accused – Boe, A. with O'Neill, C. Second Accused – Ramrakha, T. Solicitors: Crown – Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (NSW) First Accused – Nyman Gibson Miralis Defence Lawyers and Advisors Second Accused – LegalAid File Number(s): 2019/276597; 2019/276599 Publication restriction: Nil.