Nitiva v DPP & 2 Ors [1999] NSWCA 332

New South Wales Court of Appeal CITATION : Nitiva v DPP & 2 Ors [1999] NSWCA 332 FILE NUMBER(S) : CA 40663/98 HEARING DATE(S) : 23/07/99 JUDGMENT DATE : 17 September 1999

Claimant - Josefa Nitiva PARTIES : First Opponent - Director of Public Prosecutions Second Opponent - Judges of the District Court Third Opponent - Lillian Horler JUDGMENT OF : Sheller JA at 1; Beazley JA at 1; Cole AJA at 1

LOWER COURT JURISDICTION : District Court LOWER COURT FILE NUMBER(S) : 142/98 LOWER COURT JUDICIAL OFFICER : Naughton DCJ

Claimant: J S Coombs QC/ Peter Kintominas COUNSEL : First Opponent: P Johnson SC Second Opponent: Submitting Third Opponent: Submitting SOLICITORS : Claimants: T A Murphy - Legal Aid Commission Opponents: S E O'Connor CATCHWORDS : Driving whilst disqualified; Traffic Act; Local Court; Crimes Act s 556A; Justices Act ss 75B, 76; District Court; Denial of procedural fairness; Discretion in sentencing; Double jeopardy; Proceedings returned to the Local Court Traffic Act 1909 (NSW) ss 7A(2)(a); 12 Justices Act 1902 (NSW) ss 63; 75B; 76; 100A; 122; 131AB ACTS CITED : Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) s 556A Supreme Court Act 1970 (NSW) s 44 Criminal Appeal Act 1912 (NSW) s 5B Hunter v Stewart [1907] VLR 619 R v Smith [1875] LR 10 QB 604 Schmidt v Schmidt [1912] SALR 101 Blazevski v The Judges of the District Court of NSW (1992) 29 ALD 197 Kopuz v The Judges of the District Court (1992) 62 A Crim R 337 Ex parte Gavin; re Berne (1945) 46 SR (NSW) 58 Morgan John Ryan v The Queen (1984) 14 A Crim R 97 CASES CITED: Hoskins v Van Den Braak (1988) 43 NSWLR 290 R v Di Simoni (1981) 147 CLR 383 R v Ower (1945) 46 SR (NSW) 51 R v Hodder (1986) 33 A Crim R 295 Sullivan v Department of Transport (1978) 20 ALR 323 DPP v Cassell (1995) 80 A Crim R 160 R v Longshaw (1990) 20 NSWLR 554 Comptroller-General of Customs v D'Aquino Bros Pty Ltd (1996) 135 ALR 649 DECISION : Orders made 23 July 1999