R v Merritt [2000] NSWCCA 365

New South Wales Court of Criminal Appeal

CITATION : R v Merritt [2000] NSWCCA 365 FILE NUMBER(S) : CCA 60239/00 HEARING DATE(S) : 9 August 2000 JUDGMENT DATE : 13 September 2000

PARTIES : Regina v Noel Joseph Merritt JUDGMENT OF : Beazley JA at 1; O'Keefe J at 2; Smart AJ at 45

LOWER COURT JURISDICTION : District Court LOWER COURT FILE NUMBER(S) : 00/61/0071 LOWER COURT JUDICIAL Luland DCJ OFFICER :

COUNSEL : R D Cogswell SC and G Rich - For Crown M G Pincott, solicitor - For Appellant SOLICITORS : S E O'Connor - For Crown Sydney Regional Aboriginal Corporation Legal Service - For Appellant CATCHWORDS : Criminal Law - Appeals - Crown appeal against sentence - inadequacy - Second trial - Constraint of second trial judge by sentence imposed after first trial - Misapplication of principles in R v Gilmore and R v Bedford LEGISLATION CITED : Criminal Appeal Act 1968 (UK) s.8(4) and Sch.2 par 2(1) R. v Gilmore (1979) 1 ACR 416 R v Bedford (1986) 5 NSWLR 711 House v The King (1936) 55 CLR 499 CASES CITED: Minister for Aboriginal Affairs v Peko Walsend Limited (1985-86) 162 CLR 24 R v Garrett (1978) 18 SASR 308 R v Henry (1999) 46 NSWLR 346 Veen v The Queen (1987-88) 164 CLR 465 DECISION : Appeal against sentence for offence of larceny dismissed.; Appeal against sentence for the offence of armed robbery with wounding - allowed; sentence quashed; In lieu of sentence imposed for armed robbery with wounding a sentence of imprisonment for 18 years commencing on 2 June, 1999 with a non-parole period of 13-1/2 years commencing on that date and ending on 1 December, 2012.