REGINA v. KNEEBONE [1999] NSWCCA 279

Reported Decision : 47 NSWLR 450

New South Wales Court of Criminal Appeal CITATION : REGINA v. KNEEBONE [1999] NSWCCA 279 FILE NUMBER(S) : CCA 60300 of 1998 HEARING DATE(S) : Friday 6 August 1999 JUDGMENT DATE : 21 September 1999

PARTIES : REGINA v. KNEEBONE, Michael Alfred John JUDGMENT OF : Spigelman CJ at 1; Greg James J at 2; Smart AJ at 68

LOWER COURT JURISDICTION : District Court LOWER COURT FILE NUMBER(S) : 97/61/0130 LOWER COURT JUDICIAL OFFICER : Cooper, DCJ.

COUNSEL : Crown: T. Buddin, SC/D. Howard App: S. Norrish, QC SOLICITORS : Crown: C.K. Smith App: Maureen Fanning & Associates CATCHWORDS : Criminal trial - practice and procedure - duties of prosecutor - witness - refusal to call as not a witness of truth - inadequacy of basis for refusal in absence of proper enquiry - need to confer or otherwise establish basis - evidence received on appeal of witness' evidence of materiality to trial issues - failure to call witness and alternatively to make adequate enquiry causing a miscarriage of justice - principles in Apostilides and Whitehorn considered - role of Crown Prosecutor to seek to secure a fair trial - asserted inadequacies in directions on complaint - asserted inconsistencies in verdicts. Crimes Act 1900 ACTS CITED : Evidence Act 1995 Criminal Appeal Act 1912 Fleming (1998) 158 ALR 379 M (1994) 181 CLR 487 Jones (1997) 191 CLR 275 Murray (1987) 11 NSWLR 12 Williams [1999] NSWCCA 9 Dwyer [1999] NSWCCA 47 Graham (1998) 157 ALR 404 Apostilides (1984) 154 CLR 563 Whitehorn (1983) 152 CLR 657 Wilson (1997) QSC CA 38 Russell-Jones (1995) All ER 239 Wilson (1997) 2 NZLR 500 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Horn 50 Atlantic Reporter 872 [1959] Cook 114 CCC (3d) 481 Anderson (1991) 53 A. Crim. R. 421 Tran v. Magistrates' Court of Victoria & Anor (1998) 4 VR 294 CASES CITED: Armstrong (1998) 4 VR 533 O'Brien (1996) 66 SASR 396 Shaw (1991) 57 A. Crim. R. 425 Richardson (1974) 131 CLR 116 Milat (Hunt, CJ. at CL., unreported 23 April 1996) Lozano (CCA, unreported 10 June 1997) Souleyman (1996) 40 NSWLR 712 Pantoja (CCA, unreported 5 November 1998) GAC (CCA, unreported 19 December 1996) Adam & Adam (Wood, CJ. at CL., unreported 24 November 1998, 3 December 1998, 11 December 1998) Adam & Adam (CCA, unreported 23 July 1999) Patsalis & Spathis (No. 10) (Kirby, J., unreported 10 August 1999) Greenough v. Eccles (1859) 2 CB(NS) 786 Semeviratne (1936) 36 All ER 36 Ziems v. Prothonotary (1957) 97 CLR 279 Chidiac (1991) 171 CLR 432 RJC (CCA, unreported 1 October 1998) DECISION : Appeal allowed. New trial ordered.