REGINA v SKAF, GHANEM & HAJEID [2004] NSWCCA 74

New South Wales Court of Criminal Appeal

CITATION : REGINA v SKAF, GHANEM & HAJEID [2004] NSWCCA 74 revised - 29/04/2004 HEARING DATE(S) : 8, 9 and 10 October 2003 JUDGMENT DATE : 7 April 2004

JUDGMENT OF : Mason P at 1; Wood CJ at CL at 1; Sully J at 1 DECISION : Each appeal against conviction dismissed.

CATCHWORDS : Criminal appeal - kidnapping and sexual assault in company - separate trial applications - evidence of prior convictions - whether good character had been raised - identification evidence - directions on identification - whether defence submissions unsupported by evidence impacted upon fair trial for co-accused - judicial response thereto - whether warning about unreliability of evidence of co-accused appropriate - directions in relation to failure to testify - whether comment" infringed Evidence Act, s20(2) - whether address of counsel for one defendant caused co-accused's trial to miscarry - whether verdicts unreasonable - evidence that medical examination of complaints was "consistent" with their history of assaults. (D) Criminal Appeal Act 1912, s6 LEGISLATION CITED : Evidence Act 1995 ss20(2), 102, 110, 112, 115, 116, 135, 137, 138, 165(1)(d), s192(2) Justices Act 1902 ss75B, 100AB Adler [2002] NSWCCA 180 Alexander v The Queen (1981) 145 CLR 395 Azzopardi v The Queen (2001) 205 CLR 50 Chami (2002) 128 A Crim R 428 Chen (2002) 130 A Crim R 300 Clarke (1997) 97 A Crim R 414 Darby v The Queen (1982) 148 CLR 668 Dhanhoa v The Queen (2003) 77 ALJR 1433, [2003] HCA 40 Domican v. The Queen (1992) 173 CLR 555 Doney v The Queen (1990) 171 CLR 207 Dyers v The Queen (2002) 210 CLR 285 Eastman v The Queen (1997) 158 ALR 107 Festa v The Queen (2001) 208 CLR 593 Gabriel v The Queen (1997) 76 FCR 279 Jones v Dunkel (1959) 101 CLR 298 Osland v The Queen (1998) 197 CLR 316 Papakosmas v The Queen (1999) 196 CLR 297 Pitkin v The Queen (1995) 130 ALR 35 R v Al Khair (NSWCCA 20.6.94 CASES CITED : R v Bartle & Ors [2003] NSWCCA 329 R v Birks (1990) 19 NSWLR 677 R v Clarke (2001) 123 A Crim R 506 R v Cook NSWCCA unrep, 24.8.98 R v Dann [2000] NSWCCA 185 R v Diez-Orozco [2003] NSWSC 1050 R v Eldridge [2002] NSWCCA 205 R v Fernando [1999] NSWCCA 66 R v Fuller (1994) 34 NSWLR 233 R v ITA [2003] NSWCCA 174 R v JGW [1999] NSWCCA 116 R v Nathan Lee NSWCCA, unreported, 5 May 1997 R v Osman, NSWCCA, 10 March 1998 R v Park [2003] NSWCCA 203 R v RTB [2002] NSWCCA 104 R v Turner (2000) 76 SASR 163 RPS v The Queen (2000) 199 CLR 620 Verma (1987) 30 A Crim R 441 Webb v The Queen, Hay v The Queen (1994) 181 CLR 41 Weissensteiner v The Queen (1993) 178 CLR 217 Williams v The Queen (2000) 119 A Crim R 490 PARTIES : Regina Bilal SKAF, Mohamed GHANEM, Belal HAJEID FILE NUMBER(S) : CCA 60032/02; 60174/03; 60380/02 Crown: D Frearson/ D Arnott COUNSEL : Appellant: (B. Skaf) A Cook Appellant: (M Ghanem) T Game SC/ D Johnson Appellant: (B Hajeid) S Odgers SC/ H Dhangie Crown: S Kavanagh (Director of Public Prosecutions) SOLICITORS : Appellant: (B Skaf) Galloways Solicitors Appellant: (M Ghanem) Murphys Solicitors Appellant: (B Hajeid) Ryan & Bossher