REGINA v EID & ORS [1999] NSWCCA 59

New South Wales Court of Criminal Appeal CITATION : REGINA v EID & ORS [1999] NSWCCA 59 FILE NUMBER(S) : CCA 60303/98 HEARING DATE(S) : 12/10/98, 02/03/99, 04/03/99 JUDGMENT DATE : 4 March 1999

PARTIES : Director of Public Prosecutions - Crown Tawfic Awadi, Nasrat Eid and Mahmoud El-Chami - Appellants JUDGMENT OF : Abadee J at 1; Barr J at 2; Adams J at 3

LOWER COURT JURISDICTION : Local Court LOWER COURT FILE NUMBER(S) : Z4253 850/98 LOWER COURT JUDICIAL OFFICER : G M Madgwick SM

COUNSEL : Mr P Byrne SC - Crown Mr C K Maxwell QC - Appellants SOLICITORS : S E O'Connor - DPP Horowitz & Bilinsky - Appellants CATCHWORDS : Listening Device Warrant; criminal offence dependent on invalid statute; effect on validity of warrant ; s 5F Criminal Appeal Act 1912; interlocutory judgment; nature of ruling that warrant valid S 41(1) s 13(1) Listening Devices Act 1984 Invasion of Privacy Act 1971 (Qld) ACTS CITED : s 5F Criminal Appeal Act 1912 Customs Act 1901 Business Franchise Licences (Tobacco) Act 1987s 41(1) s 178BB Crimes Act 1900 Ha & Anor v NSW & ors; Hammond & Associates Pty Limited v NSW & ors (1996-1997 189 CLR 465) R v Steffan (1993) 30 NSWLR 633 at 636 R v Bozatsis; R v Spanakis (1997) 97 ACrimR 296 Ousley v The Queen (1997) 71 ALJR 1548 Coco v The Queen (1994) 179 CLR 427 Flanagan v Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police (1996) 60 FCR 149 CASES CITED: Haynes v Attorney General (NSW) (unreported, NSWSC, 9 February 1996) Grollo v Palmer (1995) 184 CLR 348 at 359 71 ALJR at 1579 Peters v Attorney General (1988) 84 ALR 319 Antill Ranger & Co Pty Limited v Commissioner for Motor Transport (1955) 93 CLR 83 (HC) and 1957 94 CLR 177 (PC) Riverina Transport Pty Ltd v Victoria (1937) 57 CLR 237 at 341 DPP v Nock [1978] AC 979 R v Kingswell [1984] 3 NSWLR 373 Sew How [1994] 1 NZLR 257 DECISION : Appeal allowed. Court held that warrants 91A and 91B were invalid.