GARDINER v REGINA [2006] NSWCCA 190

Reported Decision : 162 A Crim R 233

New South Wales Court of Criminal Appeal

CITATION: GARDINER v REGINA [2006] NSWCCA 190

HEARING DATE(S): 14 March 2006

JUDGMENT DATE: 21 June 2006

JUDGMENT OF: McClellan CJ at CL at 1; James J at 115; Simpson J at 116

DECISION: 1. Appeal upheld; 2. Conviction quashed and new trial ordered.

CATCHWORDS: CRIMINAL LAW – Appeal against conviction – whether jury's verdicts were inconsistent – CRIMINAL LAW – subpoenas – identity of police informers – whether legitimate forensic purpose – CRIMINAL LAW – public interest immunity – police informers – whether defence could show that desired evidence would help demonstrate innocence – EVIDENCE – whether evidence of guns at one location is tendency or coincidence evidence that is probative of knowledge of guns at another location – whether admission of evidence led to a substantial miscarriage of justice – whether to apply the proviso in s 6(1) of the Criminal Appeal Act – EVIDENCE – definition of identification evidence – recognition evidence – whether trial judge's directions complied with s 116 and s 165 of the Evidence Act.

Evidence Act s 97 and s 98 LEGISLATION CITED: Firearms Act 1996 s 4A Weapons Prohibition Act 1998 s4

Alister v The Queen (1984) 154 CLR 404 Carroll v Attorney-General for NSW (1993) 70 A Crim R 162 Cornwall v R [2006] NSWCCA 116 Dhanhoa v The Queen (2003) 217 CLR Domican v The Queen (1992) 173 CLR 555 Festa v The Queen (2001) 208 CLR 593 R v Abdullah & Ors [1999] NSWCCA 188 R v Ali (2001) 122 A Crim R 498 R v Anna Zhang [2005] NSWCCA 437 R v Aziz [1982] NSWLR 322 CASES CITED: R v Clarke (1997) 97 A Crim R 414 R v Coe [2002] NSWCCA 385 R v Filippetti (1978) 13 A Crim R 335 R v Fletcher [2005] NSWCCA 338 R v Lockyer (1996) 89 A Crim R 457 R v Meher [2004] NSWCCA 355 R v Saleam (1989) 16 NSWLR 14 R v Shamouil [2006] NSWCCA 112 R v Zammit [1999] NSWCCA 65 Travel Compensation Fund v Blair [2002] NSWSC 1228 Weiss v The Queen [2005] HCA 81