Clark v State of New South Wales; Clark v Commissioner of Corrective Services NSW [2024] NSWSC 1328

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Clark v State of New South Wales; Clark v Commissioner of Corrective Services NSW [2024] NSWSC 1328 Hearing dates: 14-15 October 2024 Date of orders: 15 and 22 October 2024 Decision date: 22 October 2024 Jurisdiction: Common Law Before: Chen J Decision: (1) Order that the plaintiff's notice of motion filed 23 July 2024 be dismissed. (2) Order that the plaintiff pay the respondents' costs of, and incidental to, the notice of motion. (3) Order that the amended summons dated 9 August 2024 be dismissed. (4) Order that the plaintiff pay the respondents' costs of, and incidental to, the amended summons. (5) Direct that the Court forward a copy of this judgment to the plaintiff. Catchwords: ADMINISTRATIVE LAW – Writ of habeas corpus – Where self-represented plaintiff is held in custody bail refused on charges currently before the Local and District Court – Where plaintiff asks the Court to undertake a broader enquiry into the legitimacy of the charges against him – Detention of the plaintiff neither illegal nor unlawful – Application dismissed CIVIL PROCEDURE – Stay of proceedings – Where plaintiff seeks permanent stay of extant criminal proceedings before the Local and District Court on the basis that they are an "abuse of process" and productive of "unfair prejudice" – Where dealing with the substance of the plaintiff's arguments would lead to the fragmentation of the criminal justice process – No "special reason" or "exceptional or extraordinary" circumstance to displace the general principle against fragmentation – Application for stay of proceedings dismissed CIVIL PROCEDURE – Notices to produce – Before hearing – Where plaintiff seeks an order requiring compliance with notice to produce – Where notice to produce impermissibly sought material from non-parties to the proceedings and in circumvention of the requirement for leave for self-represented parties to issue a subpoena – No "apparent relevance" of the documents sought to the proceedings – Application dismissed Legislation Cited: Child Protection (Offenders Registration) Act 2000 (NSW) Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) Crimes (Administration of Sentences) Act 1999 (NSW) Evidence Act 1995 (NSW) Felons (Civil Proceedings) Act 1981 (NSW) Supreme Court Act 1970 (NSW) Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW) Cases Cited: Antunovic v Dawson (2010) 30 VR 355; [2010] VSC 377 Cahyadi v The Queen [2007] NSWCCA 1; (2007) 168 A Crim R 41 Calleija v The Queen [2012] NSWCCA 37; (2012) 223 A Crim R 391 Chow v Director of Public Prosecutions (1992) 28 NSWLR 593 Clark v R (No 2) [2015] NSWCCA 271 Clark v State of New South Wales [2021] NSWSC 380 Commissioner of Corrective Services v Hamzy [2024] NSWCA 240 Dacich v Commissioner of Corrective Services [2020] NSWCA 359 Director of Public Prosecutions (NSW) v Hamzy (2019) 101 NSWLR 405; [2019] NSWCA 314 Director of Public Prosecutions v Shirvanian (1998) 44 NSWLR 129 Ex parte Williams (1934) 51 CLR 545 Frugtniet v Victoria [1997] HCA 44; (1997) 71 ALJR 1598 Gamage v Riashi [2023] NSWSC 390 GLJ v Trustees of the Roman Catholic Church for the Diocese of Lismore [2023] HCA 32; (2023) 97 ALJR 857 Jago v District Court (NSW) (1989) 168 CLR 23; [1989] HCA 46 Jol v State of New South Wales (1998) 45 NSWLR 283 Koschier v R (2024) 113 NSWLR 491; [2024] NSWCCA 24 La Rocca v R [2023] NSWCCA 45 Macri v R (2022) 110 NSWLR 1; [2022] NSWCCA 177 Obeid v The Queen [2016] HCA 9; (2016) 90 ALJR 447 PFC v R [2011] NSWCCA 275 Prisoners A to XX Inclusive v State of New South Wales (1995) 38 NSWLR 622 R v Edwards [2009] HCA 20; (2009) 83 ALJR 717 R v Secretary of State for the Home Department, Ex parte Cheblak [1991] 1 WLR 890 Re Officer in Charge of Cells, ACT Supreme Court; Ex parte Eastman [1994] HCA 36; (1994) 123 ALR 478 Re Stanbridge's Application (1996) 70 ALJR 640 Sankey v Whitlam (1978) 142 CLR 1; [1978] HCA 43 Secretary of the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment v Blacktown City Council [2021] NSWCA 145 State of New South Wales v TD (2013) 83 NSWLR 566; [2013] NSWCA 32 Tootle v R [2017] NSWCCA 328 Webb v The Queen; R v Webb [2012] NSWCCA 216; (2012) 225 A Crim R 550 Wehbe v Giotopoulos [2022] NSWSC 1566 Yates v The Commissioner of Corrective Services, NSW [2014] NSWSC 653 Young v Registrar, Court of Appeal (No 3) (1993) 32 NSWLR 262 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Proceedings 2002/00069098 Peter Frederick Clark (Plaintiff) State of New South Wales (Defendant/First Respondent) Commissioner NSW Police Service (Second Respondent) Director of Public Prosecutions NSW (Third Respondent)