R v Chen & Others [2002] NSWCCA 174

Reported Decision : (2002) 130 A Crim R 300

New South Wales Court of Criminal Appeal

CITATION : R v Chen & Others [2002] NSWCCA 174 FILE NUMBER(S) : CCA 60079/01; 60082/01; 601220/01; 60099/01 HEARING DATE(S) : 10, 11 December 2001 JUDGMENT DATE : 11 June 2002

Regina v Wei Ming Chen PARTIES : Regina v Saud Siregar Regina v Sidiki Ismunandar Regina v Khong Hoi Lau JUDGMENT OF : Heydon JA; Sully J; Levine J

LOWER COURT JURISDICTION : District Court 00/11/0061 LOWER COURT FILE NUMBER(S) : 00/11/0371 99/11/0730 99/11/0375 LOWER COURT JUDICIAL Shadbolt DCJ OFFICER :

E L Fullerton SC (Crown A J Bellanto QC/P Lowe (Chen) COUNSEL : A M Barrie (Siregar) D G Dalton (Ismunandar) A J Bellanto QC/P Lowe (Lau) Commonwealth DPP (Crown) Raymond Lee & Co (Chen) SOLICITORS : George Sten & Co (Siregar) Freemans (Ismunandar) Borak & Co (Lau) CATCHWORDS : Criminal law - Customs Act 1901 (Cth) s 233B - importation of prohibited goods -narcotics - heroin - appellants convicted at trial - appeal against conviction and sentence - Courts - jurisdiction - inherent powers - acts of Commonwealth marine vessel in pursuit of appellants' vessel - pursuit of compulsive nature - whether nature of pursuit deprived court of jurisdiction - whether proceedings an abuse of process - Evidence - admissibility - Evidence Act 1995 (NSW) s 138 - discretion to exclude illegally or improperly obtained evidence - whether seizure and search of marine vessel within Australian waters unlawful or irregular - whether evidence so obtained colourable by any such unlawful or irregular conduct - whether admission of evidence a miscarriage of discretion - Constitutional law - judicial powers - Constitution Act 1901 (Imp) s 71 - whether power of Director of Public Prosecutions under Crimes Act 1914 (Cth) s 21E to apply to Court for increase of sentence an exercise of Commonwealth judicial power - Evidence - admissibility - Evidence Act 1995 (NSW) s 102 - whether evidence of undertaking relevant only to a witness' credibility - evidence of witness' status - Criminal law - sentence - serious drug offences - life term without parole - principles relating to orders for Crimes Act 1914 (Cth) LEGISLATION CITED : Customs Act 1901 (Cth) Evidence Act 1995 (NSW) Judiciary Act 1903 (Cth) Adam v The Queen (2001) 183 ALR 625 R v Booth (1982) 8 A Crim R 81 Bunning v Cross (1978) 141 CLR 54 Cheung v The Queen (2001) 185 ALR 111; [2001] HCA 67 R v Checconi (1988) 34 A Crim R 160 R v Diamond (NSWCCA, unreported, 18 February 1993) R v Gonzales-Betes [2001] NSWCCA 226 R v Horseferry Road Magistrates' Court; Ex parte Bennett [1994] 1 AC 42 R v Kalache (2000) 111 A Crim R 152 R v Law Kuan (NSWSC, unreported, 31 March 1999) Liberato v The Queen (1985) 159 CLR 507 CASES CITED: Chu Kheng Lim & Ors v The Minister for Immigration, Local Government and Ethnic Affairs & Anor (1992) 176 CLR 1 Lowe v The Queen (1984) 154 CLR 606 R v Mandagi [2002] NSWCCA 57 R v Megitt [1999] NSWSC 606 Postiglione v The Queen (1977) 189 CLR 295 Salmon v The Queen [2001] WASCA 270 R v Schmahl [1965] VR 745 R v Thomson and Houlton (2000) 115 A Crim R 104 R v Twala (unreproted, 4 November 1994, Badgery-Parker J) R v Wong and Leung; (2001) 185 ALR 233; [2001] HCA 64 R v 'YZ' [1999] NSWCCA 48 Veen v The Queen [No 2] (1988) 164 CLR 465 DECISION : See paragraph 291