DOE v R [2008] NSWCCA 203

New South Wales Court of Criminal Appeal

CITATION: DOE v R [2008] NSWCCA 203 This decision has been amended. Please see the end of the judgment for a list of the amendments.

HEARING DATE(S): 16 June 2008

JUDGMENT DATE: 2 September 2008

JUDGMENT OF: Spigelman CJ at 1; Hidden J at 2; Latham J at 3

DECISION: Appeal dismissed

CATCHWORDS: Conviction appeal - sexual assault offences - circumstantial case as to identity of offender - alleged admission by accused to acquaintance - acceptance beyond reasonable doubt of that witness essential to proof of guilt - whether comment suggesting that the witness had "no axe to grind" capable of being understood by the jury as "Why would he lie?" - whether summing up compounded alleged error.

LEGISLATION CITED: Crimes Act 1900

F (1995) 83 A Crim R 502 R v Uhrig CCA 24 October 1996 South v R [2007] NSWCCA 117 R v Davies NSWCCA 8/12/94 E (1996) 39 NSWLR 450 R v Uhrig NSWCCA 24/10/96 R v Graham NSWCCA 2/9/97 Guirguis NSWCCA 29/11/96 Jovanovic (1997) 98 A Crim R 1 R v AH (1997) 98 A Crim R 71 Palmer v The Queen (1998) 193 CLR 1 Robinson v The Queen (1991) 180 CLR 531 R v Smith [2000] NSWCCA 468 R v Fuge (2001) 123 A Crim R 310 R v Ray (2003) 57 NSWLR 616 CASES CITED : Wilson v R [2006] NSWCCA 217 Boulattouf v R [2007] NSWCCA 102 South v R [2007] NSWCCA 117 R v El-azzi [2004] NSWCCA 455 R v Keir [2004] NSWSC 964 R v Walters [2002] NSWCCA 291 R v Brotherton (1993) 29 NSWLR 95 R v Coe [2002] NSWCCA 385 at [118] R v Colby [1999] NSWCCA 261 R v Herring NSWCCA 24/11/98 BRS v R (1997) 191 CLR 275 BRS v R NSWCCA 5/3/96 R v Browne, Moorehouse & Blewitt NSWCCA 27/11/87 R v WRW [2001] NSWCCA 466 [67] R v Brownlowe NSWCCA 30/3/94 R v Downey NSWCCA 16/12/92