Davidson (a pseudonym) v R [2024] NSWCCA 60

Court of Criminal Appeal Supreme Court New South Wales Medium Neutral Citation: Davidson (a pseudonym) v R [2024] NSWCCA 60 Hearing dates: 12 April 2024 Decision date: 06 May 2024 Before: Adamson JA at [1]; Stern JA at [57]; Wright J at [58] Decision: (1) Grant leave to appeal. (2) Appeal dismissed. Catchwords: EVIDENCE — relevance — whether evidence of applicant's tendency to have a specified sexual interest was relevant — whether such evidence was irrelevant because it was incapable of establishing the tendency asserted EVIDENCE — tendency evidence — evidence of applicant's tendency to have a specified sexual interest — presumption in s 97A(2) of the Evidence Act 1995 (NSW) that such evidence has significant probative value — whether there were sufficient grounds under s 97A(4) to rebut presumption — where the tendency evidence derives from a single witness — where there were differences between the alleged sexual acts towards the complainant and as alleged in the tendency evidence EVIDENCE — tendency evidence — whether probative value of tendency evidence outweighed danger of unfair prejudice to the applicant — Evidence Act s 101 — capacity of direction to remove prejudice Legislation Cited: Crimes Act 1900 (NSW), s 66C Evidence Act 1995 (NSW), ss 55, 97, 97A, 101, 137 Cases Cited: Aravena v R (2015) 91 NSWLR 258; [2015] NSWCCA 288 Burns-Dederer v R [2023] NSWCCA 191 Elomar v R [2014] NSWCCA 303; (2014) 300 FLR 323 Festa v R (2001) 208 CLR 593; [2001] HCA 72 Gardiner v R [2006] NSWCCA 190; (2006) 162 A Crim R 233 House v The King (1936) 55 CLR 499; [1936] HCA 40 Hughes v The Queen (2017) 263 CLR 388; [2017] HCA 20 IMM v The Queen (2016) 257 CLR 300; [2016] HCA 14 R v Arvidson [2008] NSWCCA 135; (2008) 185 A Crim R 428 R v Clarke (2023) 111 NSWLR 501; [2023] NSWCCA 123 Restricted Judgment [2021] NSWCCA 298 The Queen v Bauer (a pseudonym) (2018) 266 CLR 56; [2018] HCA 40 Vagg v R [2020] NSWCCA 134 Texts Cited: New South Wales Legislative Assembly, Parliamentary Debates (Hansard), 25 February 2020 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Scott Davidson (a pseudonym) (Applicant) Rex (Respondent) Representation: Counsel: T Ramrakha (Applicant) S Traynor (Respondent)