R v Beergah [2023] NSWDC 464

District Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: R v Beergah [2023] NSWDC 464 Hearing dates: 26 September 2023, 6 October 2023 Date of orders: 6 October 2023 Decision date: 06 October 2023 Jurisdiction: Criminal Before: Abadee DCJ Decision: See paragraphs 92-93 Catchwords: CRIME – appeals and reviews – sexual touching offence – whether inconsistencies between complainant's evidence and other prosecution witnesses indicated the complainant's evidence was unreliable – whether lying by one corroborating witness should have given rise to doubt whether the complainant and other corroborating witnesses had a motive to lie - whether fresh evidence (on appeal) of appellant's good character indicative of reasonable doubt in circumstances where appellant participated in an ERISP but elected not to give evidence in the Local Court hearing – whether Liberato direction misapplied Legislation Cited: Crimes (Appeal and Review) Act 2001 (NSW), s18 Crimes Act 1900 (NSW), ss 61HB, 66DB Cases Cited: Arizabaleta v R [2023] NSWCCA 217 Blissett v Director of Public Prosecutions (NSW) [2021] NSWCA 253 Browne v Dunn (1893) 6 R 67 Haile v R [2022] NSWCCA 71 Hofer v The Queen (2021) 274 CLR 357 Liberato v The Queen (1985) 159 CLR 507 Lunney v DPP (2021) 105 NSWLR 236 McNab v DPP (NSW) (2021) 106 NSWLR 430 Park v R [2023] NSWCA 71 R v Scott [2023] NSWDC 271 Weissensteiner v The Queen (1993) 178 CLR 217 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) Brian Beergah (appellant) Representation: Ms A. Chauvet (solicitor) for the ODPP Ms G. Ghabrial (counsel) for the appellant