R v Diallo & Ors (No 4) [2024] NSWSC 882

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: R v Diallo & Ors (No 4) [2024] NSWSC 882 Hearing dates: 10, 30 May 2024, 16 July 2024 Date of orders: 22 July 2024 Decision date: 22 July 2024 Jurisdiction: Common Law Before: Hamill J Decision: Around 300 evidentiary rulings made (see table of rulings at [89]) Catchwords: CRIMINAL LAW – intersection of artistic endeavour in the form of "drill rap" lyrics and s 137 of the Evidence Act – evidence derived from telephones – determination of relevance – whether probative value outweighed by danger of unfair prejudice – over 300 objections to be determined – overview of relevant legal principles – evidence to be taken at its highest –assessment of potential for misuse of the evidence – a fine balance – application to specific examples CASE MANAGEMENT – fail Legislation Cited: Evidence Act 1995 (NSW), ss 55, 56, 87, 87(1), 135, 137 Cases Cited: Aytugrul v The Queen (2012) 247 CLR 170; [2012] HCA 15 Bendix Autolite Corporation v Midwesco Enterprises Inc 486 US 888 (1988) IMM v The Queen (2016) 257 CLR 300; [2016] HCA 14 JW v R [2022] NSWCCA 206; (2022) 302 A Crim R 365 Laughton v R [2019] NSWCCA 74 McConnachie v Director of Public Prosecutions (NSW) [2019] NSWSC 318 McNamara v The King [2023] HCA 36; (2023) 98 ALJR 1 Papakosmas v The Queen (1999) 196 CLR 297; [1999] HCA 37 Pfennig v The Queen (1995) 182 CLR 461; [1995] HCA 7 R v Diallo & Ors (No 2) [2024] NSWSC 853 R v Diallo & Ors (No 3) [2024] NSWSC 877 R v Qaumi & Qaumi (No 2) [2016] NSWSC 1487 R v Shamouil (2006) 66 NSWLR 228; [2006] NSWCCA 112 R v SJRC [2007] NSWCCA 142 R v XY (2013) 84 NSWLR 363; [2013] NSWCCA 121 The Queen v Dennis Bauer (a pseudonym) (2018) 266 CLR 56; [2018] HCA 40 Webb v R [2012] NSWCCA 216; (2012) 225 A Crim R 550 Xie v R [2021] NSWCCA 1; (2021) 386 ALR 371 Texts Cited: Australian Law Reform Commission, Evidence (Interim) (ALRC Report 26), (August 1985) D Hamer, "The Unstable Province of Jury Fact-Finding: Evidence Exclusion, Probative Value and Judicial Restraint after IMM v The Queen" (2017) 41(2) Melbourne University Law Review 689 Chin, G Edmond and A Roberts, "Simply Unconvincing: The High Court on Probative Value and Reliability in the Uniform Evidence Law" (2022) 50(1) Federal Law Review 104 Stephen Odgers, Uniform Evidence Law (18th ed, 2023, Thomson Reuters) The Hon Chris Maxwell AC, "Preventing Miscarriages of Justice: The Reliability of Forensic Evidence and the Role of the Trial Judge as Gatekeeper" (2019) 93 Australian Law Journal 642 Category: Procedural rulings Parties: Rex (Prosecution) Ibrahima Diallo (Defendant) AG (Defendant) YA (Defendant) AD (Defendant) Panashe Morgan Ryan Karise (Defendant) Representation: Counsel: E Balodis and J Sfinas (Rex) R Wilson SC (Diallo) M Avenell SC (AG) W Terracini SC KC and P Kondich (YA) B Robinson (AD) M Smith (Karise)