Inspector Stephen Campell v James Gordon Hitchcock [2003] NSWIRComm 436

Industrial Relations Commission of New South Wales

CITATION : Inspector Stephen Campell v James Gordon Hitchcock [2003] NSWIRComm 436 PROSECUTOR: WorkCover Authority of New South Wales (Inspector Stephen Campbell) PARTIES : DEFENDANT: James Gordon Hitchcock FILE NUMBER: IRC 5660 & 5661 of 2001 CORAM: Walton J Vice-President Evidence - Deposition - Witness gave evidence in coronial inquiry into death of deceased - Evidence in coronial proceedings given both as a statement and as a deposition - Evidence tendered under s 112 of the Criminal Procedure Act - Whether evidence given in coronial proceedings a deposition for the purposes of the Criminal Procedure Act - Whether the evidence given in the coronial proceedings was otherwise admissible - Interaction between the Criminal Procedure Act and the Evidence Act - Held the exclusionary provisions of Pt 3.11 of the Evidence Act apply to evidence tendered in reliance upon the facilitative provisions of the Criminal Procedure Act - Held evidence was a deposition for the purposes of the Criminal Procedure Act and was otherwise admissible. CATCHWORDS : Evidence - Operation of Pt 3.11 of the Evidence Act - Assessment of probative value - Whether assessment of reliability is a matter affecting the assessment of probative value - Tension between judgment of Hunt CJ at CL in R v Carusi and McHugh J in Papakosmas considered - Prejudice - Ruling on objections. Crimes Act 1900 s 409(repealed) LEGISLATION CITED : Criminal Procedure Act 1986 s 112 and 116 (repealed) Evidence Act 1995 Adam v The Queen (2001) 207 CLR 96 Attorney General of New South Wales v Jackson (1906) 3 CLR 730 Domican v The Queen (1992) 173 CLR 555 Festa v The Queen (2001) 208 CLR 593 Gorman v Fitzpatrick (1987) 32 A Crim R 330 Mendham & Foster (1993) 71 A Crim R 382 Papakosmas v The Queen (1999) 196 CLR 297 R v Attard, R v Mifsud [1970] 1 NSWR 750. R v BD (1997) 94 A Crim R 131 R v Blick (2000) 111 A Crim R 326 R v Brotherton (1992) 29 NSWLR 95 R v Carusi (1997) 92 A Crim R 52 R v Duke (1979) 22 SASR 46 R v GK (2001) 53 NSWLR 317 R v Gover (2000) 118 A Crim R 8 CASES CITED : R v Grant (2001) 127 A Crim R 124 R v Le (2002) 54 NSWLR 474 R v Marshall (2000) 113 A Crim R 190 R v Serratore (1999) 48 NSWLR 101 R v Sinanovic (1992) 67 A Crim R 230 R v Singh-Bal (1997) 92 A Crim R 397 R v Stackelroth (1996) 86 A Crim R 438 R v Suteski (2002) 56 NSWLR 182 R v Tugaga (1994) 74 A Crim R 190 R v Yates, Parry, Hyland, Powick [2002] NSWCCA 520 Reg v Burrell [2001] NSWSC 120 Reg v Farquhar (unreported, Court of Criminal Appeal, 29 May 1985) Reg v Lynch [1979] 2 NSWLR 775 Rogers v The Queen (1994) 181 CLR 251 Scott v The Queen [1989] 1 AC 1242 Smith v The Queen (2001) 206 CLR 650