REGINA v GK [2001] NSWCCA 413

Reported Decision : 125 A Crim R 315

New South Wales Court of Criminal Appeal

CITATION : REGINA v GK [2001] NSWCCA 413 FILE NUMBER(S) : CCA 60738/00 HEARING DATE(S) : 1 May 2001 JUDGMENT DATE : 16 October 2001

PARTIES : REGINA v GK JUDGMENT OF : Mason P at 1; Sully J at 62; Dowd J at 102

LOWER COURT JURISDICTION : District Court LOWER COURT FILE NUMBER(S) : 99/21/3063 LOWER COURT JUDICIAL Moore DCJ OFFICER :

COUNSEL : Crown: R D Ellis Respondent: P Byrne SC/M A Marty SOLICITORS : Crown: S E O'Connor Respondent: Greg Walsh & Co CATCHWORDS : Evidence - whether judge at subsequent trial required to follow ruling of prior judge on admissibility of evidence - s137 Evidence Act 1995 - whether trial Judge should have allowed numerical probability evidence derived from DNA testing to go to jury - paternity index - relative chance of paternity statistics - Bayes' Theorem - whether probative value outweighed by risk of unfair prejudice - "prosecutor's fallacy". (D) Annot 84 ALR 4th 313 Arnotts v Trade Practices Commission (1990) 24 FCR 313 Burger King Corporation v Hungry Jack's Pty Ltd [2001] NSWCA 187 Chamberlain v The Queen (No 2) (1984) 153 CLR 521 Doheny and Adams [1997] 1 Cr App R 369 Duke (1979) 22 SASR 46; 1 A Crim R 39 Gibson v R [2001] TASSC 59 Hassett [1999] EWCA Crim 1481 HG v The Queen (1919) 197 CLR 414 Humphrey (1999) 103 A Crim R 434 Latcha (1998) 104 A Crim R 390 Makita (Australia) Pty Ltd v Sprowles [2001] NSWCA 305 Milat (1996) 87 A Crim R 446 Mitchell (1997) 98 A Crim R 32 Ordukaya v Hicks [2000] NSWCA 180 Pantoja (1996) 88 A Crim R 554 Papakosmas v The Queen (1999) 196 CLR 297 CASES CITED: People v Leonard (1997, 569 NW 2d 663, appeal denied 570 NW 2d 659) Perry v The Queen (1982) 150 CLR 580 R v Denis Adams (No 2) [1998] 1 Cr App R 377 R v BD (1997) 94 A Crim R 131 R v Edwards (1997) 94 A Crim R 204 R v Karger [2001] SASC 64 R v Gallagher [2001] NSWSC 462 R v Jarrett (1994) 62 SASR 443 R v Kami (District Court of New South Wales 14 May 2001) R v Noll [1999] VSCA 164 Reg. v Prasad (1979) 23 SASR 161 Rogers v The Queen (1994) 181 CLR 251 State v Freeman (1997, 571 NW 2d 276) State Government Insurance Commission v Laube (1984) 37 SASR 31 State of Nebraska v Champ (20 March 2001, No A-00-617) State v Carter 524 NW 2d 763 Steffen v Ruban [1966] 2 NSWR 622 Toki (2000) 116 A Crim R 536 United States v Davis (1994, 40 F 3d 1069, cert den (US) 131 L Ed 2d 239) DECISION : Question 1. Where a trial Judge makes a discretionary ruling on the admissibility of certain evidence is a trial Judge at a subsequent trial following a failure by the first jury to agree on its verdict bound to follow that ruling with respect to the admissibility of the same evidence?; Answer: No.; Question 2. Was his Honour Judge Moore in error in refusing to admit evidence of the probability, in numerical terms derived from DNA testing, that …..(GK)…… was the father of the complainant's child, on the basis that there was a real risk of unfair prejudice to the accused?; Answer: Yes as to Paternity Index Statistics; No as to Relative Chance of Paternity Statistics.