REGINA v PLV [2001] NSWCCA 282

Reported Decision : 51 NSWLR 736 123 A Crim R 194

New South Wales Court of Criminal Appeal

CITATION : REGINA v PLV [2001] NSWCCA 282 FILE NUMBER(S) : CCA 60460/00 HEARING DATE(S) : 26 June 2001 JUDGMENT DATE : 25 July 2001

PARTIES : Regina PLV JUDGMENT OF : Spigelman CJ at 1; Simpson J at 98; Smart AJ at 99

LOWER COURT JURISDICTION : District Court LOWER COURT FILE NUMBER(S) : 97/21/3205 LOWER COURT JUDICIAL Goldring DCJ OFFICER :

COUNSEL : P Byrne SC (Appellant) R D Ellis (Crown) SOLICITORS : Greg Walsh & Co (Appellant) S E O'Connor (Crown) CATCHWORDS : CRIMINAL LAW - sexual offence - appeal against conviction - whether one verdict of guilty unreasonable in light of five verdicts of not guilty - where evidence corroborative of complainant on count on which convicted but no corroboration on other counts - CRIMINAL LAW - sexual offence - appeal against conviction - directions to jury - whether warning given by trial judge regarding delay in complaint was adequate - whether should have been a warning of the danger of convicting on the evidence of the complainant alone - where jury did not convict in absence of corroboration - whether direction regarding possible unreliability of witnesses adequate - where evidence given of events occurring when witness was a young child - s165 Evidence Act 1995 - CRIMINAL LAW - sexual offence - appeal against conviction - fresh evidence - whether new evidence admissible - where new evidence went only to credit of complainant - s106(d) Evidence Act 1995 - CRIMINAL LAW - sexual offence - application for leave to appeal against sentence - whether appropriate to sentence on standards at time of commission of offence or time of conviction - where long delay between the commission of the offence and conviction. Crimes Act 1900 Crimes (Child Assault) Amendment Act 1985 LEGISLATION CITED : Criminal Appeal Rules Criminal Procedure Act 1986 Evidence Act 1995 Cooper Brookes (Wollongong) Pty Ltd v Commissioner of Taxation (Cth) (1981) 147 CLR 297 Crampton v The Queen (2000) 75 ALJR 133; [2000] HCA 60 Gallagher v The Queen (1985) 160 CLR 392 Inco Europe v First Choice Distribution [2000] 1 WLR 586 Jones v The Queen (1997) 191 CLR 439 Kilby v The Queen (1973) 129 CLR 460 King, Bull & Marotta v The Queen (WASCA, 19 January 1998, unreported) KRM v The Queen (2000) 75 ALJR 550; [2000] HCA 11 Longman v The Queen (1989) 168 CLR 79 Matadeen v Pointu [1999] 1 AC 98 Mill v The Queen (1988) 166 CLR 59 R v ARD [2000] NSWCCA 443 CASES CITED: R v Davies (1985) 3 NSWLR 276 R v Dennis (NSWCCA, 14 December 1992, unreported) R v DJM (NSWCCA, 13 August 1992, unreported) R v GJH [2001] NSWCCA 128 R v Hemsley (NSWCCA, 8 December 1995, unreported) R v Hilsley [1998] VSCA 143 R v Holyoak (1995) 82 A Crim R 502 R v KCW [1999] NSWCA 112 R v Petterwood (QCA, 11 August 1998, unreported) R v Tillott (1995) 38 NSWLR 1 R v Todd [1982] 2 NSWLR 517 R v Young (1999) 46 NSWLR 681 State v Zuma (1995) 4 BCLR 401 Wentworth Securities v Jones [1980] AC 74 DECISION : 1. Appeal against conviction dismissed; 2. Leave to appeal against sentence granted; 3. Appeal against sentence dismissed.