R v Richard Norman Mearns [2005] NSWCCA 396

New South Wales Court of Criminal Appeal

R v Richard Norman Mearns [2005] NSWCCA 396 CITATION: This decision has been amended. Please see the end of the judgment for a list of the amendments.

HEARING DATE(S): 20/07/05

JUDGMENT DATE: 8 December 2005

JUDGMENT OF: Brownie AJA at 1; Buddin J at 2; Latham J at 3

DECISION: Appeal against conviction dismissed; Leave to appeal against sentence granted; Appeal dismissed.

CATCHWORDS: Conviction and sentence appeals - child sexual assault - adequacy of Murray direction - direction on contextual or relationship evidence inadvertently raising tendency - no real risk of misuse of that evidence by jury - dates not of the essence of the offence - conduct of trial by counsel

LEGISLATION CITED: Evidence Act 1995

BD (1997) 94 A Crim R 131 R v Whitmore [1999] NSWCCA 247 R v El-Kheir [2004] NSWCCA 461 R v Reardon [2002] NSWCCA 203 R v Selsby [2004] NSWCCA 381 R v Murray(1987) 11 NSWLR 12 R v Zafiris CCA (unrep) 14.9.98 R v Gust [1999] NSWCCA 265 R v V CCA (unrep) 16.4.98 R v Haeney CCA (unrep) 13.6.98 R v Abusafiah (1991) 24 NSWLR 531 R v Aziz [1982] 2 NSWLR 322 R v Pfitzner (1976) 15 SASR 171 R v LTP [2004] NSWCCA 109 R v Stringer (2000) 116 A Crim R 198 CASES CITED: R v Macdonald (1995) 84 A Crim R 508 R v Westerman (1991) 55 A Crim R 353 R v VHP CCA (unrep) 7.7.97 R v Beserick (1993) 30 NSWLR 510 BRS (1997) 191 CLR 275 ; (1997) 95 A Crim R 400 R v Harvey CCA (unrep) 11/12/96 R v AH (1997) 42 NSWLR 702 R v Greenham [1999] NSWCCA 8 R v Wickham CCA (UNREP) 17/12/91 Gipp v The Queen at 132 per McHugh J R v AN [2000] NSWCCA 372 R v MM [2000] NSWCCA 78; 112 A Crim R 519 R v ATM [2000] NSWCCA 475 R v TAB [2002] NSWCCA 274 KRM v The Queen (2001) 206 CLR 221 ; [2001] HCA 11 R v GS [2003] NSWCCA 73