State of New South Wales v Spedding [2023] NSWCA 180

Court of Appeal Supreme Court New South Wales Medium Neutral Citation: State of New South Wales v Spedding [2023] NSWCA 180 Hearing dates: 13-14 June 2023 Date of orders: 9 August 2023 Decision date: 09 August 2023 Before: Bell CJ; Ward P; Adamson JA Decision: Appeal dismissed with costs Catchwords: TORTS — Malicious prosecution — Institution of proceedings — identification of prosecutors — distinction between institution and maintenance of proceedings — whether police officers can be prosecutors for the purposes of the tort after the Director of Public Prosecutions has taken over carriage of the prosecution — whether police officers maintained the prosecution after the Director of Public Prosecutions took over the proceeding TORTS — Malicious prosecution — Absence of reasonable and probable cause — where proceedings commenced for dominant purpose of advancing police investigation of unrelated criminal matter — where many basic investigative tasks not completed prior to arrest and charging — where police had exculpatory material available to them which had not been read when criminal proceedings were instituted — whether actual knowledge of exculpatory material is required to demonstrate an absence of reasonable and probable cause TORTS — Malicious prosecution — Malice — What constitutes — where proceedings commenced for dominant purpose of advancing police investigation of unrelated criminal matter — whether sufficient to demonstrate malice — whether actual knowledge of exculpatory material is required to demonstrate malice — where improper purpose of Police was not disclosed to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions — whether malice can be found on part of the Office of Director of Public Prosecutions TORTS — Collateral abuse of process — Who may commit — where one police officer was listed as the prosecutor on the Court Attendance Notice — whether the tort can be committed by a police officer who is not a party to the criminal proceeding — whether this is material where State is vicariously liable for all police officers involved TORTS — Collateral abuse of process — What constitutes — where it is accepted that the institution of criminal proceedings to advance an unrelated investigation is not a proper purpose — whether functions of police are confined to arrest, investigation and commencement of criminal proceedings — whether police nonetheless liable due to commencement of proceedings to advance an unrelated police investigation TORTS — Misfeasance in public office — What constitutes — whether maintenance of criminal proceeding can be an exercise in public power TORTS — Malicious prosecution — Damage — Damage to plaintiff's reputation — where the respondent was already known as a suspect in unrelated investigation — where charges laid in order to advance that unrelated investigation — whether damage to reputation was caused by leaking of the respondent's name as a suspect as opposed to by malicious prosecution — whether distinction can be drawn between the two causes Legislation Cited: Civil Liability Act 2002 (NSW), ss 3B, 16, 17 Costs in Criminal Cases Act 1967 (NSW), ss 2, 3 Crimes Act 1900 (NSW), ss 61E(1A), 66A Crimes (High Risk Offenders) Act 2006 (NSW) Criminal Procedure Act 1986 (NSW), ss 47, 48, 50 Director of Public Prosecutions Act 1986 (NSW), ss 9, 13, 15A Law Enforcement (Powers and Responsibilities) Act 2002 (NSW), s 99 Cases Cited: A v New South Wales (2007) 230 CLR 500; [2007] HCA 10 AB (A Pseudonym) v R (No 3) (2019) 97 NSWLR 1046; [2019] NSWCCA 46 Burton v Director of Public Prosecutions (2019) 100 NSWLR 734; [2019] NSWCA 245 Coleman v Buckingham's Ltd (1963) 63 SR (NSW) 171; [1964] NSWR 363 Commercial Union Assurance Co of NZ Ltd v Lamont [1989] 3 NZLR 187 Cooley v The State of Western Australia (2005) 155 A Crim R 528; [2005] WASCA 160 Daniels v Telfer (1933) 34 SR (NSW) 99 Davis v Gell (1924) 35 CLR 275; [1924] HCA 56 Dunlop v Woollahra Municipal Council [1982] AC 158 Ea v Diaconu [2019] NSWSC 795 Ea v Diaconu (2020) 102 NSWLR 351; [2020] NSWCA 127 Edwards v New South Wales [2021] NSWSC 181 Edwards v New South Wales [2022] NSWCA 187 Elias v The Queen (2013) 248 CLR 483; [2013] HCA 31 Emanuele v Hedley (1998) 179 FCR 290; [1998] FCA 709 Flowers v New South Wales (No 5) [2021] NSWSC 887 Gibbs v Rea [1998] AC 786 Gillett v State of New South Wales [2009] NSWSC 421 Goldsmith v Sperrings [1977] 1 WLR 478 Grainger v Hill (1838) 4 Bing (N.C.) 212; 132 ER 769 Hamer-Mathew v Gulabrai (1994) 35 NSWLR 92 Hamilton v State of New South Wales [2020] NSWSC 700 Hanrahan v Ainsworth (1990) 22 NSWLR 73 HD v New South Wales [2016] NSWCA 85 House v The King (1936) 55 CLR 499; [1936] HCA 40 Hrdavec v New South Wales [2021] NSWSC 560 Kearns v Kearns (Family Court of Australia, Gee J, 17 May 1989, unrep) Kuddus v Chief Constable of Leicestershire Constabulary [2002] 2 AC 122 Lamb v Cotongo (1987) 164 CLR 1; [1987] HCA 47 Leerdam v Noori (2009) 255 ALR 553; [2009] NSWCA 90 March v E & M H Stramare Pty Ltd (1991) 171 CLR 506; [1991] HCA 12 Martin v Norton Rose Fulbright Australia (No 11) [2020] FCA 1641 Martin v Watson [1996] AC 74 McKechnie v Campbell (1996) 17 WAR 62 Mitchell v John Heine and Son Ltd (1938) 38 SR (NSW) 466 Moran v McMahon (1985) 3 NSWLR 700 NAB v McFarlane [2005] VSC 438 New South Wales v Abed (2014) 246 A Crim R 549; [2014] NSWCA 419 New South Wales v Landini [2010] NSWCA 157 Northern Territory of Australia v Mengel (1995) 185 CLR 307; [1995] HCA 65 Obeid v Lockley (2018) 98 NSWLR 258; [2018] NSWCA 71 Outerbridge trading as Century 21 Plateau Lifestyle Real Estate v Hall (2020) 102 NSWLR 921; [2020] NSWCA 205 Palmer Bruyn & Parker Pty Ltd v Parsons (2001) 208 CLR 388; [2001] HCA 69 Potier v R [2015] NSWCCA 130 Purkess v Crittenden (1965) 114 CLR 164; [1965] HCA 34 QIW v Felview [1989] 2 Qd R 245 R v BJW [2000] NSWCCA 60; (2000) 112 A Crim R 1 R v Hillsley [2005] NSWSC 652 R v Lipton (2011) 82 NSWLR 123; [2011] NSWCCA 247 Re Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Reference No 1 of 2017 (2019) 267 CLR 350; [2019] HCA 9 Rookes v Barnard [1964] AC 1129 Sahade v Bischoff [2015] NSWCA 418 Spautz v Gibbs (1990) 21 NSWLR 230 Spedding v State of New South Wales [2023] NSWSC 34 State of New South Wales v Ibbett (2006) 229 CLR 638; [2006] HCA 57 TCN Channel Nine Pty Ltd v Anning (2002) 54 NSWLR 333; [2002] NSWCA 82 The National Insurance Company of New Zealand Ltd v Espagne (1961) 105 CLR 569; [1961] HCA 15 Varawa v Howard Smith Co Ltd (1912) 13 CLR 35; [1911] HCA 46 Vatarescu v Commonwealth (2012) 263 FLR 301; [2012] ACTSC 96 Watts v Rake (1960) 108 CLR 158; [1960] HCA 58 White Industries (Qld) Pty Ltd v Flower & Hart (a firm) (1998) 156 ALR 169; [1998] FCA 806 Williams v Spautz (1992) 174 CLR 509; [1992] HCA 34 Texts Cited: E Hynard and A Lerch, "The Tort of Collateral Abuse of Process" (2021) 44(2) UNSW Law Journal 714 New South Wales Legislative Assembly, Parliamentary Debates (Hansard), 12 May 2015 New South Wales, Joint Select Committee on Sentencing of Child Sexual Assault Offenders, Every Sentence Tells a Story - Report on Sentencing of Child Sexual Assault Offenders, (October 2014) Prosser and Keaton on the Law of Torts (5th ed., 1984, West Group) Category: Principal judgment Parties: State of New South Wales (Appellant) William Harrie Spedding (Respondent) Representation: Counsel: