REGINA v. HALL & ORS [2001] NSWSC 827

New South Wales Supreme Court

CITATION : REGINA v. HALL & ORS [2001] NSWSC 827 CURRENT JURISDICTION: Criminal FILE NUMBER(S) : SC 70008/01; 70202/01; 70031/01 HEARING DATE(S) : 4/9/01; 6/9/01; 10/9/01; 17/9/01 JUDGMENT DATE : 17 September 2001

REGINA v. HALL, Ernest William PARTIES : REGINA v. SMITH, Donna Ann REGINA v. GARDENER, George William JUDGMENT OF : Greg James J at 1

Crown: J. Kiely, SC. COUNSEL : Hall: J. Spencer Smith: S. Kluss Gardener: M. Paish Crown: S.E. O'Connor SOLICITORS : Hall: T.A. Murphy Smith: T.A. Murphy Gardener: R.F. Bergagnin & Co. CATCHWORDS : Criminal law - evidence - recorded conversations - quality of recording such that what was said cannot reliably be determined - recordings inadmissible - consideration of concept of admissions - relevance - discretion to admit and reject. LEGISLATION CITED : Evidence Act 1995 Uniform Evidence Law, Odgers (4th ed.) Johns (1980) 143 CLR 108 Butera v. DPP (1987) 164 CLR 180 Eastman (1997) 158 ALR 107 Cassar & Sleiman (No. 17) [1999] NSWSC 436 Smith [2001] HCA 50 CASES CITED : Murrell [2001] NSWCCA 179 Smith (1987) 7 NSWLR 444 Brownlowe (1987) 7 NSWLR 461 Bulejcik (1996) 1 CLR 315 Henshaw (1988) VR 362 Jones (1989) 41 A. Crim. R. 1 DECISION : The prosecution of each of the three accused for the offences charged on the indictment presently preferred, is permanently stayed.