Regina v Kovacs [2000] NSWCCA 74

Reported Decision : 111 A Crim R 374

New South Wales Court of Criminal Appeal

CITATION : Regina v Kovacs [2000] NSWCCA 74 revised - 1/05/2000 FILE NUMBER(S) : CCA 60738/98; 60817/98 HEARING DATE(S) : 13 August 1999 JUDGMENT DATE : 31 March 2000

PARTIES : REGINA - Respondent/Appellant Lajos KOVACS - Appellant/Respondent JUDGMENT OF : Beazley JA at 1; Simpson J at 2; McInerney AJ at 56

LOWER COURT JURISDICTION : District Court LOWER COURT FILE NUMBER(S) : 98/11/0354 LOWER COURT JUDICIAL Herron DCJ OFFICER :

COUNSEL : Ms E L Fullerton SC - Appellant/Respondent J V Agius SC - Crown Respondent/Appellant SOLICITORS : Peter Ash & Associates - Appellant/Respondent Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions - Respondent/Appellant

Customs Act 1904 (Cth) LEGISLATION CITED : Proceeds of Crime Act 1987 Evidence Act 1995 R v Ireland (1970) 126 CLR 321 Bunning v Cross(1978) 141 CLR 54 pp 64-65 R v Ridgeway (1995) 184 CLR 19, p 32 R v Swaffield; Pavic v R (1998) 192 CLR 159, p176 CASES CITED: R v Lansdell, unreported NSW CCA 22 May 1995 Weissensteiner v R (1993) 178 CLR 217 R v OGD (1997) 45 NSWLR 744 RPS v R [2000] HCA 3, unreported, 3 february 2000 Bataillard v The King [(1907) 4 CLR 1282 at 1291] R v Wong and Leung [1999] NSW CCA 420 DECISION : (i) Appeal against conviction dismissed; (ii) Crown appeal allowed, sentence imposed quashed; (iii) Appellant sentenced to imprisonment for fifteen years with a non parole period of ten years.