R v Clark [2001] NSWCCA 494

Reported Decision : 123 A Crim R 506

New South Wales Court of Criminal Appeal

CITATION : R v Clark [2001] NSWCCA 494 FILE NUMBER(S) : CCA 60377/01 HEARING DATE(S) : 9 November 2001 JUDGMENT DATE : 13 December 2001

PARTIES : Regina v Steven John Clark JUDGMENT OF : Heydon JA at 1; Dowd J at 219; Bell J at 239

LOWER COURT JURISDICTION : Supreme Court LOWER COURT FILE NUMBER(S) : 70076/00 LOWER COURT JUDICIAL Barr J OFFICER :

COUNSEL : Mr G E Smith (Crown) Mr C P Heazlewood (Appellant) SOLICITORS : S E O'Connor (Crown) Baker Ryrie Rickards Titmarsh (Appellant) CATCHWORDS : Criminal Law - Murder - Appeal against conviction - Evidence - Unreliable evidence - Judicial directions to jury - Whether necessity for unreliable evidence warning - Where Crown's major witness testified under indemnity from prosecution - Where no such warning sought at trial - Whether leave should be granted to argue point - Whether witness was "criminally concerned in the events giving rise to the proceeding" - Criminal Appeal Rules, r 4 - Evidence Act 1995 (NSW) s 165 - Criminal Law - Murder - Appeal against conviction - Evidence - "Relationship evidence" - Admissibility - Evidence of contemporaneous representations by deceased demonstrating deceased's negative state of mind about relationship with appellant - Exception to hearsay rule - Whether unfairly prejudicial justifying exclusion - Evidence Act 1995 (NSW), ss 55(1), 72 and 135-137 - Criminal Law - Murder - Appeal against sentence - Whether non-parole period of less than three-quarters of head sentence warranted - Whether appellant's intellectual/physical difficulties amounted to "special circumstances" - Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999, s 44(2) - D Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) LEGISLATION CITED : Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999 Criminal Appeal Act 1912 (NSW) Evidence Act 1995 (NSW) Albrighton v Royal Prince Alfred Hospital [1980] 2 NSWLR 542 B v R (1992) 175 CLR 599 R v Bedingfield (1879) 14 Cox CC 431 R v Blick [2000] NSWCCA 61 R v Booth [1982] 2 NSWLR 847 R v Carranceja (1989) 42 A Crim R 402 R v Chai (1992) 27 NSWLR 153 R v Checconi (1988) 34 A Crim R 160 Davies v Director of Public Prosecutions [1954] AC 378 R v Fahda [1999] NSWCCA 267 R v Farler (1837) 8 C & P 106 R v Fraser (NSWCCA, 10 August 1998) R v Frawley (1993) 69 A Crim R 208 R v Fulcher [1995] 2 Cr App R 251 R v Garner (1963) 81 WN (Pt 1) (NSW) 120 Gipp v R (1998) 194 CLR 106 Glennon v R (1994) 119 ALR 706 R v Gratton (1971) 4 NBR (2d) 14 R v Heath [1991] 2 Qd R 182 R v Hissey (1973) 6 SASR 280 R v Iuliano [1971] VR 412 Kailis v R (1999) 21 WAR 100 Khan v R [1971] WAR 44 R v Letteri (unreported, Court of Criminal Appeal, 18 March 1992) R v Lewis (1906) 8 WALR 83 R v Ling (1982) 6 A Crim R 429 CASES CITED: McNee v Kay [1953] VLR 520 R v MM (2000) 112 A Crim R 519 KRM v R (2001) 178 ALR 385 Majara v R [1954] AC 235 R v Mason (1869) 5 Aust Digest 881-2 R v Ncanana 1948 (4) SA 399 O'Leary v R (1946) 73 CLR 566 Papakosmas v R (1999) 196 CLR 297 R v Peake (1996) 67 SASR 297 Pearmine v R [1988] WAR 315 R v Perry [1970] 2 NSWR 501 R v Pipe (1966) 51 Cr App R 17 Plomp v R (1963) 110 CLR 234 R v Ready [1942] VLR 85 R v Robichaud (1938) 13 MPR 22 R v S [2000] 1 Qd R 445 R v Sawoniuk [2000] 2 Cr App R 220 Shaw v R (1952) 85 CLR 365 Singleton v Ffrench (1986) 5 NSWLR 425 R v Sneesby [1951] Qd R 26 R v Stewart [2001] NSWCA 260 R v Tevendale [1955] VLR 95 R v Toki (2000) 116 A Crim R 536 R v Tripodina (1988) 35 A Crim R 183 R v Tsingopoulos [1964] VR R v Vollmer [1996] 1 VR 95 Wilson v R (1970) 123 CLR 334 R v Wozniak (1988) 16 NSWLR 185 DECISION : The appeal against conviction is dismissed; the application for leave to appeal against sentence is dismissed