R v Valera [2000] NSWSC 1220

New South Wales Supreme Court

CITATION : R v Valera [2000] NSWSC 1220 CURRENT JURISDICTION: Criminal FILE NUMBER(S) : SC 70039/99 HEARING DATE(S) : 12/7/00, 13/7/00, 14/7/00, 18/7/00, 20/7/00, 21/7/00, 24/7/00, 25/7/00, 26/7/00, 27/7/00, 28/7/00, 31/7/00, 1/8/00, 2/8/00, 3/8/00, 4/8/00, 7/8/00, 8/8/00, 1/9/00, 6/10/00 JUDGMENT DATE : 21 December 2000

PARTIES : Regina v Mark Mala Valera @ Mark Jack Van Krevel JUDGMENT OF : Studdert J

COUNSEL : P. Conlon (Crown) J. Nicholson SC (Prisoner) SOLICITORS : Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Crown) Sydney Regional Aboriginal Corporation Legal Service (Prisoner) CATCHWORDS : Criminal law - sentences for two murders - operation of common law principles of "worst category" of case - effect of s 61 Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act - consideration of subjective circumstances - absence of jurisdiction to set non parole period for sentence of life imprisonment for murder. LEGISLATION CITED : Crimes Act Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act Bugmy v The Queen (1990) 169 CLR 625 R v Bell (1985) 2 NSWLR 466 R v Bollen 99 A Crim R 510 R v Dang [1999] NSWCCA 42 R v De Gruchy (unreported, Grove J, 17 December 1998) R v Fernando [1999] NSWCCA 66 R v Garforth (unreported, NSWCCA, 23 May 1994) R v Harris (2000) 111 A Crim R 415 R v Harris [2000] NSWCCA 469 R v Kalajzich (1997) 94 A Crim R 41 CASES CITED : R v Leonard (unreported, NSWCCA, 7 December 1998) R v Park (unreported, Sperling J, 3 August 2000) R v Petroff (unreported, Hunt CJ at CL, 12 November 1991) R v Previtera 94 A Crim 76 R v Robinson [2000] NSWSC 972 R v Steel (unreported, Hunt CJ at CL, 12 May 1994) R v Street (unreported, NSWCCA, 17 December 1996) R v Trotter (unreported, Hunt CJ at CL, 10 August 1993) R v Twala (unreported, NSWCCA, 4 November 1994) Veen v The Queen (No. 1) (1979) 143 CLR 458 Veen v The Queen (No. 2) (1988) 164 CLR 465 DECISION : See para 127