Kerr v Commissioner of Police & Ors [2001] NSWSC 637

New South Wales Supreme Court

CITATION : Kerr v Commissioner of Police & Ors [2001] NSWSC 637 CURRENT JURISDICTION: Common Law FILE NUMBER(S) : SC 10407/01 HEARING DATE(S) : 23 July 2001, 26 July 2001 JUDGMENT DATE : 27 July 2001

Nathan Anthony Kerr (Plaintiff) PARTIES : Commisioner of Police for the State of New South Wales (1st Defendant) State of New South Wales (2nd Defendant) Director of Public Prosecutions (NSW) (3rd Defendant) JUDGMENT OF : Studdert J

A.C. Haesler (Plaintiff) COUNSEL : P.F. Singleton (1st & 2nd Defendants) M.C. Grogan (3rd Defendant) Nikola Velcic & Associates (Plaintiff) SOLICITORS : I.V. Knight (1st & 2nd Defendants) S.E. O'Connor (3rd Defendant) CATCHWORDS : EVIDENCE - Summons for declaration and orders - forensic samples taken from suspect - suspicion of crime of murder - whether forensic procedure undertaken illegally - whether court should now make order restraining testing of samples - whether court should now order destruction of samples - exercise of discretion - Crimes (Forensic Procedures) Act 2000 considered. LEGISLATION CITED : Crimes (Forensic Procedures) Act 2000 Ousley v The Queen (1997) 94 ACrimR 195 George v Rockett (1980) 170 CLR 104 Coco v The Queen (1994) 179 CLR 427 CASES CITED : Sankey v Whitlam (1978) 142 CLR 1 Anderson v Attorney General for New South Wales (1987) 10 NSWLR 198 Yates v Wilson (1989) 168 CLR 339 Sergi v DPP (unreported, NSWCA, 10 September 1991) Tye v The Commissioner of Police (1995) 84 ACrimR 147 DECISION : See para 66